A quick question about PwP phone texting

[Grumpy77]

If you're tremor dominant PwP and diagnosed at least 3 years or longer, how do you hold your phone and how do you text?

This thread is a survey, to see how pwp cope with texting..

Do you hold your phone like the image on the left and speed text by quick flapping your thumbs?

Or do you text like the image on the right... holding your phone with one hand and tapping with a finger on the second hand?

As for me, I long lost the ability to text with both thumbs like on the left image, shortly after diagnosis (about 2 years)

And if you still text like the left image, is this while you're ON with meds or irrespective of wether you're on or off

Btw I don't believe non-tremor dominant are affected

[1953bullard]

I use voice to text

[Michel0220]

Although I suffer from rigidity rather than tremors, using my phone is tricky. I definitely use one hand only (quite slowly) and use dictation a lot though very frustratingly at times!

[Marcia123]

voice text is the best

[ddmagee1]

I use a stylus, because of tremors! It works well!

[buzbyc]

Definitely the picture on the right, although I'm gradually learning to appreciate the benefits of voice recognition.

[Grumpy77 in reply to buzbyc]

Years ago, I made the decision not to transition to voice to text technology. My thought then and now is that, just as I need to exercise the larger parts my body and the brain parts that control them (legs, arms, waist, jogging for the heart....), I also feel I need to exercise the smaller parts also, such as the fingers dexterity and the brain function that controls texting (which is a very difficult brain function) or you loose it for good

But this thought is just mine, not from a specialist or neurologist... so I may be wrong ☹️

[enjoy2013]

I do the right image but it has happened once in a few months that I try the left one. In the sense that I can do it, but it is challenging. I believe it is a coordination thing between the brain areas planning the text content (what you actually want to communicate) and the fingers. Plus some synaptic plasticity as personally, being 52, I never really invested in learning the left method.

[Grumpy77 in reply to enjoy2013]

The coordination thing... that's very true. Which is why I'm continuing with all these bits of physical activities that help me keep all areas of my brain active... and I'm ain't transitioning to voice to text anytime soon. With PD, its easy to loose them very quickly

[flyboypiper]

I have to lay my phone down and then 1 finger it or activate speech recognition. if i know i am going to do a lot i use a headset with voice recog.

[Grumpy77 in reply to flyboypiper]

😂😂 I think that description matches my slowness

[DachshundFan]

Picture on the right with as much voice recognition as possible.

[MarionP]

I use the microphone setting to text. I find that IF I SPEAK SLOWLY and ARTICULATE CAREFULLY, SEPARATING EACH WORD FROM THE NEXT word, the phone generally translates pretty well.

[blogger_7]

I have action tremors predominantly but my fingers bounce so horribly when I try to text. never used my thumbs. Check out this funny blog post... about typIng: silverliningsandparkinsons.... 2019/08/20/typing-with-parkinsons/

Sue