I’m 78, a former university art instructor, and am finding myself increasingly stressed when having to deal with technology to get anything done - especially health care! Everything requires passwords, sign in IDs, and if you mess up you often have to go through the whole process all over again. I find it can really ruin my mood and make me feel hopeless to cope. I have cataracts and am very nearsighted anyway. I have to do anything tech-related first thing or it’s impossible to summon the energy later on
I use an iPhone for most things, just handier.
Sorry for the rant, not strictly about PMR/GCA, but it does affect my functioning and stress, it just seems like everything you must do today you must do online.
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Mstiles
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You're not alone Mstiles - it happens a lot when you have PMR (we don't just moan about "brain fog" (good name, isn't it)?😂Most of us have difficulties we'd never dreamt of - intelligence, education has nothing to do with it. Blame the pred - most of us do!
It’s hard not to face encountering these difficulties when intelligence and education were reliable parts of your identity. It’s like I don’t feel like myself anymore.
Well - as your elder by 4 years - I 'm going to say "don't be silly".😂😂We were born into a different age where technology was in its infantry you could say. Now it's the youngsters teaching the aged as far as computers/digital things are concerned. Just relax and learn (as they had to) - we'll get there.👵🏻😶😂
I generally enjoy technology and find it helpful, but when either it or I go wrong…..😡 Also I find it a bit disheartening that when I was working, I was able to keep up with IT through training, asking colleagues etc. Now it’s all down to me to sort out on my own…..and then explain to or update my husband re his apps, etc as well….
I wouldn’t be without it though. I also use an iPhone and iPad and as I have cataracts too, I have enabled some of the accessibility functions in settings. I wonder whether you’ve done that or whether it might help?
Yes the isolation makes it worse, doesn’t it. There is money to be made by some teens and young people with patience who will help seniors through the maze.
As mentioned by Nextoneplease , there are many aids on iPhone if that’s your preferred device…….…from enlarging fonts, to using dictation, saving numerous passwords safely, making use of Siri …etc, etc.
Embrace the technology and let it work for you……it’s here to stay, like it or not!
I find that I can’t figure out many of these solutions on my iPhone myself, therefore requiring googling answers or contacting iPhone support,(“must be another crazy old lady”). All of which takes more mental energy. Seems like each site requires you to enlarge type on its own. Makes me wonder if I’m losing my faculties. I could visit the phone store, (logistics and energy , and get help but I’m really not going anywhere these days. Guess I’m just feeling down today.
Hmm, some days are just too much aren’t they….and I’m sure you’re not losing your faculties….but we weren’t raised on technology like the youngsters have been over the last couple of decades…
it comes naturally to them so they assume it does to everyone…but they’d be lost on some of the things you can do and know!
A laptop does as Web based you just have to scan the qr code , an ipad would mean it would remove the ability from your phone onto the ipad by Web app which is not what you want.
No, it doesn't remove access to WhatsApp on your phone. This article should help. I have WhatsApp Web on my Windows PC and use it all the time. It is so much easier to type on a real keyboard. macworld.co.uk/how-to/whats...
I think most of the population will agree with you. Something that you think will take five minutes takes all afternoon. Don’t start me off in waiting for forty five minutes or more to get the phone answered by banks, insurance companies etc etc. Grrrrrr.
I applied to renew my driving license 23rd July, I was 70 in september...so had to do it by post, because of not having a photo one previously....had to send original documents....haven`t heard a thing....no chance at all of phoning, have emailed, it`s a do not reply answer....My fear is they have lost my original documents....I`m not well enough to drive at the moment, but who knows, so I tried....
Today I sent an old fashioned letter!......fingers crossed....
Good luck to you on getting your license renewed. I feel my blood pressure and cortisol levels rising just reading your post!I also have that to face, renewing online.
Did you send it tracked? Always a good idea with government departments, or really anything vital. You can then check it's arrived and they can't say they didn't receive it 🙄
DVLA are only working at 40%capacity and their union have called strikes over the summer and have more planned, they are calling the shots. There is a HUGE backlog so you just have to be patient, it took me over two months to get my tax sorted and I could not use my car.
Ok, I'm not too concerned about when I actually get the license, but when I check online it says they are dealing with applications received from 9th August, I sent mine two weeks earlier, I am more concerned that they have my original documents which they insisted on....have read letters in the newspaper denying they have even received some applications............Have sent a letter by post to customer services, but don't even expect a reply from them.....
I'm beginning to see why some people who have to drive for family/job reasons would be tempted to break the law!......
I got all my documents back a couple of weeks after they issued my tax certificate, you just have to wait and be patient. They do everything in their own time.
Hi, just a thought. I know it's sometimes easier to use our mobiles/tabs etc but they have relatively small screens and even if you enlarge everything you then don't get very much on the page. If you are having trouble all the time it may be worth contemplating getting a laptop, where you can also change the accessability settings, font size etc, but will be able to see a lot more on a larger screen. If you do ask the shop to set up both the lappie and the phone so you can see them well, but also to sync together.
I value my pc greatly. Use smaller devices in general catching up but larger screen makes all the difference. Just need a reliable connection now..................
Well over 20 years - it was my first modern sized mobile phone - I'd had a Motorola brick before that. It sits on the bedside table, runs down until it beeps and is fully charged again. Hardly use it, it is the UK number for banks and stuff - same number too except from when Vodafone went from 04*** to 077***
Wow! You should report it to Nokia - you might be offered "free for life" or something else. Never heard of anyone having one mobile phone for anywhere near 20 years.
I absolutely agree, I thought I wasn’t too bad but this afternoon I’ve felt like a fat fingered dinosaur trying to get my Uk Covid pass set up online. Arrow back and you’ve wiped the lot, tired of seeing ‘your password doesn’t match...’. It took what seemed like hours, so frustrating. I’ve stomped about in a grim mood all afternoon!
I notice you have an I-Phone. I agree about passwords. You probably have the app called notes & I find that helpful to keep passwords. I know there are password managers but I never use those. Just a suggestion...
A password manager is a much safer and more secure way of storing passwords and can auto-fill username and password fields for you when you log in to different web pages. It is well worth looking into what they can do for you. I can't advise on what might be available on Apple products as I use Windows/Android. Cybersecurity is very important, especially for us older folks! (and its Cybersecurity month at the moment)
I am a big technology fan, and would rather spend my money on that than anything else. However, I always have to use a laptop for most things as phones have a different operating system and often restricts you. I also have had my sight affected by my diagnosis and so another reason.. ipad/tablets are also on a different operating system.
You can get a basic laptop for a third of the price of a tablet.
But, like you, I get sent nuts by logins and passwords, or even worse the pages where you have to type in the captcha and it always tells me I am wrong....
Technology, fantastic when it works, but you want to throw it across the room when it doesn't
I have ndeed thrown one out of the window. Former husband was IBM and thought we were all born with innate ability to understand technology. I was not.
Hmmm that wasn't the best lesson you could have had. Teaching people to understand basic technology should be given slowly and gently, without overpowering them in one go. Trying to teach my husband to add an attachment to emails took me a very very long time.
My soon to be ex husband was a financial analyst at IBM and never had the patience to help me, and then got annoyed if I asked my daughters to help I found it very stressful.
Put it all away for a day. You are managing when you have to, its the having to that is so frustrating and stressful. Ensure you have technology free days. Good ideas posted re fonts etc. But hide it all under the bed on a regular basis! X
I sympathise. My old iPhone 5s has a password facility so I keep them stored and as soon as I try to log on I’m offered a password in exchange for my thumb print. The guy in the 2nd hand phone shop set it up for me. Geeks are the answer.
I am so sorry you are having these difficulties...life is hard enough for us. But I wonder if you would do better with a laptop or an ipad. Larger screen and easier to control size of text and brightness. Perhaps a touch screen would help...so easy to make the text larger. I don't live in the UK but I have found someone who will fix my computer and set up a new one for me...and I don't need to leave home.Perhaps ask a local computer shop if they know anyone who can help...or ask your friends if they have a tech savvy someone who can help.
When the technology works it is brilliant.
I keep a little book with instructions, passwords etc.
I love my IPad but filling out forms can be very frustrating. My phone will absolutely not accept face recognition from me. It’s like it’s saying nobody could have that face like the moon with chipmunk cheeks 🤣🤣🤣
Mstiles: I'm glad I'm not the only one! Brain fog? Certainly! I gained a PhD by research when
I was in my fifties but I struggle with new tech; my thesis was submitted from an Amstrad (remember those?!). But I have several tech savvy grandchildren who are always willing to help. I don't really know what an ipad is but assume it is an Apple device which I don't do because of the expense.
Actually I'm quite pleased with myself today: yesterday I unexpectably got a train ticket refund and today I got over a hundred pounds knocked off my car insurance. Both challenges included tech stuff but both included conversations with people who I could not understand - until I asked them to slow down; both were so good. Now I am recovering - literally. Deafness doesn't help when you've got brain fog.
I have pondered with this a lot,I realised most of my "tech"issues lie with me.It's in how I respond,my emotions.I feel raged off and expect trouble even before I even touch the device.I'm mentally like Mr Faulty beating his car with a tree branch! So,I now try to be calm and gentle,take time,mistakes can and will be overcome so I may learn as I go..ah good! Small short sessions not hours or grinding misery..Yes I can do this but I must be calm and curious so receptive to learning.A lot of it is tedious and frustrating as are lots of things in life.You are the Boss,get yourself as comfortable as possible with the physical things..chair,device,screen size etc etc so it suits you,I use a written notebook of passwords but I don't write down any notes on how to do things as I need to have my brain directly interacting with whats happening on the screen.I found eventually it works better not to keep interrupting myself to physically translate and write little notes and memos etc.This has nothing to do with I.Q ,it is to do with perseverance I suppose.Be kind and gentle to yourself,best wishes.
You make a lot of great points here I think. Certainly I know that my husband, for example, is no less able IT wise than myself, but he panics as soon as he looks at the screen 😳He is then amazed when I say, “let’s try this” and most of the time, it is intuitive, and it does work!! Often as much by luck as judgement…..😀x
I am 88 and don't know what I would do without my computer, iPad and phone. They are my link to the world and I feel more connected than ever I did before their arrival.
I’ve been wondering how seniors have been dealing with this technology in this time. I have info technology degree, always worked on computers but I’m 68 and things change quickly in the industry. I find myself spending a lot of my time calling the technical support people on my insurance, credit cards, banks and other financial services. To make it even more difficult, there’s a lot less staff these days to assist and a lot less knowledgeable people to help. I can’t work on my iPhone but have a large iPad that makes it easier. I keep a book of all my passwords but even organized as I am, still gets complicated. Just know that you are not alone in your frustrations. Many must also be in the same situation!
Good ideas, thank you. Here’s a question that shows my ignorance. I know I could research it but it means more time online! If iPads have touch screens, can you type on them?
Yes you can type. A keyboard pops up and you type with finger as usual. Do you have an Apple store? They are very happy to show you usually how it works. There’s free classes they offer sometimes.
Really, all this falling on individual persons in their later years is madness. Collateral damage fallout, with no solutions in place. How will my family get into all the accounts when I can’t? Madness. Sorry, but I do not feel positive about any of this. Another recent Barclays Bank closure, in Highgate, center of the village. Only bank that was left, now that gone.
I am 79 I went back to school when I was 52 for a masters in my field. That’s when I learned how do use computers. Now I couldn’t live without it however I had to learn. I ended up buying a book called “computers for dummies”. That really helped me. Regarding Cataracs. That is a disadvantage because it’s like looking through a dirty window all the time. I had mine removed and intraocular lens is put in. I can now see most things without glasses. Regarding passwords: I have a password wallet. This requires only one password to get in. Inside I just click the link I want and automatically it goes to the correct site. I do add that blurriness from prednisone and the dryness in the winter makes it worse as far as seeing. So I do use moisturizing drops. I have to give you credit for trying and pushing through because I know people who just will not bother to learn anything in our age group. It is such a disadvantage not to move on with the times.
Good for you! Your story sounds like mine. I also went back to school in my forties and finally completed my Master’s degree in fine arts in my 50’s and then taught in college. I need cataracts fixed but have been delayed by the pandemic and other issues. Just gets overwhelming sometimes. Password wallet sounds like it would remove a major hassle. Thanks for your support.
Now that my vision is declining, I am very thankful for my kindle as I can enlarge the print. Also I find it easier to write essays and poetry on computer than trying o do it long hand, although have to make a lot of corrections. I cn also play bridge with people all over the world. Hooray for technology, I have an EV which I drive on residential roads, staying off busy highways.
I am not particularly particularly fond of Apple. I found it too complicated. I guess that's from years of using PC's and only using iTunes for an iPod which then embedded itself in my pc and I can't get rid of it.
I use an android phone and an Amazon 8" Fire tablet to do everything. It is cheap, simple to use and perfect size. I have a laptop which I use for processing photographs mainly or when I really need a keyboard.
I am a bit of a techie but I still find my Amazon Fire the best thing for me.
A word on passwords. My son is in computers and he gave me a tip. He suggested that I use more or less the same passwords for things but to put a clue in front of them as to what they are for eg FB....... for Facebook or AZ..... for Amazon. Also I keep a list on a post-it note app which I periodically update and send to a file in my email so I always have one place to go too. Another tip is to use numbers instead of letters in your password eg you can use a 5 for an S so you get a word with numbers in so "password" becomes "pa55word" this makes your password more secure.
I'm 78 too and for the last 10 years I've promised myself every winter that when it's raining I'll 'get on top' of all the technology issues. Sadly, I always find something else to do, that I can do! I'm on the laptop at the moment, where I feel very much at home. My mobile phone is only used for occasional texts and speaking to friends. Like you I have a problem with near sight which seems to have become worse since being on prednisolone since August 2020. So I totally understand where you;re coming from. The nights are starting to close in now in Cyprus and it won't be long before we have some rain. Maybe this time I'll keep to that promise I made 10 years ago! All the best to you.....
Yes! Thank goodness for the kindle, with variable font size and brightness. I’d be lost without it, even though I’d prefer print medium if I could manage it….
Passwords: I keep a written list but 'disguised'. So, I start with my main 'word' - let's say 'horseshoof' which I disguise as HH and then I add random numbers etc and write that down. So: for facebook I could have 54HH7:9 and for PayPal I could have 9&B7HH?: this would gave access to the sites. This gives me the comfort of a hard copy without revealing too much. I suppose the danger is that if someone discovers the meaning of HH I'm up the proverbial.
I understand your feelings very well. I rant and rant, reduced to tears having been a high functioning business woman and early advocate of Apply computer use and the new technology early 2000’s. The concept of having to sign up for just everything, create an ‘account’ ( account…. why?), then password, worry about password, then where to keep it, then so many numbers, etc, not seeing clearly even with spectacles on, making mistakes, starting again. Feeling impotent, I never asked for this new life that takes away my agency. Takes away human contact.
I hear you! Especially about taking away agency. I struggled with depression long before Covid and technology My normal way of coping was to shut myself away from everything and everybody,, so this “new way of life” as you describe it so well, puts me deeper in the hole.
PMRGCAuk charity does have chapters around the UK. I don’t live near the one London one which is in the east, I’m west. Maybe we could write to the charity asking if there could be interest in starting mini chapters in many more locations.
that would be a fantastic session and wonderful opportunity to share. Why don't we ask around and see what can be done. I share your frustration at this need for ever increasing password security and remembering everything. It is tedious. I'm glad that if it all goes kaput with an electronic pulse from a solar flare then I will be able to manage without a computer. I n business I had to relearn to use CAD and retrained myself to draw on computer and design. I changed from manual 3rd angle orthographic to 3D solid modelling by computer and it was wonderful. But I cavil at the nerdy need to comply with the stupid jargon used by wet behind the ears juveniles who seem to select the necessary vocabulary in new programs and systems to understand the words they misuse and re-designate what they mean. Just ignorant.
My sister and my son. My sister is great support but she’s about the same as me as as far as tech stuff. My son can usually figure it out, he has serious health problems of his own and isn’t always patient. I moved from Atlanta to northern CA where they live about 4 years ago, long story, and then got sick and Of course Covid. haven’t made any close friends here.
So many good ideas here. I hope you can investigate to find what works best for you. I find a laptop is easier than trying to do things on the small screen of my android phone. The multitude of passwords, user names etc. drives me nuts! I have a notebook which is pretty full now so I really should make more use of the "save passwords" facility. But then what if my laptop stops working properly?!
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Stress over holiday- now flare up
A bit of a GCA flare...not bad
