There’s at all times a cause to offer a considerate reward. If in case you have a senior or two in your purchasing listing, how about one thing a bit completely different this yr? As a substitute of one more box of fancy cleaning soap or aftershave, think about a know-how reward for immediately’s savvy seniors.
A Internet Cam Means Comfortable Grandchildren
Give the grandparents the reward of visible and audio interplay with their youngsters and grandchildren. If Grandma and Grandpa do not dwell subsequent door, they’re going to love the chance to see and communicate with their grandchildren through a Internet cam. Most of immediately’s Internet cams have a built-in microphone, and will come optimized for use with Home windows Messenger or another IM system. With costs (at Amazon) various from lower than $30 to virtually $300, there’s a cam for each price range.
Do not forget that, whereas some seniors might give you the option and keen to put in their cams themselves and uncover tips on how to use them on their very own, others might require help. Embody set up and some classes as a part of the reward within the latter case.
A Internet Cam Means Peace of Thoughts
A wireless community camera might save the day in particular circumstances. For instance, Panasonic’s BL-C131A Community Camera Wireless 802.11 is promoted as a camera that allows you to monitor your pets, your property, and even your youngsters if you find yourself not at home.
You arrange the camera at any location, while not having a neighborhood PC. Then, by logging on to a specifically designated Web web site, you possibly can verify the room from any PC or Web-equipped cellphone or PDA. You may also modify the camera’s pointing course and its digital zoom through the Internet browser. The camera has a built-in microphone, in addition to a particular night-view mode.
Contemplate this camera’s software within the case of a senior who lives alone and could also be in frail well being. If in case you have ever frantically phoned Granddad’s neighbors to please verify on him to make sure he is OK, you may recognize the peace of thoughts this product might present. With Granddad’s permission, you may arrange the camera in his home and go browsing everytime you have been involved that he may wish help-say, a time when he was not attentive to telephone or e-mail messages.
At near $300, this wireless camera is among the many extra highly effective merchandise of its variety out there.
Moderately than a Internet cam, you may additionally think about the QuietCare System , a health-care system designed to assist seniors dwell independently. This system makes use of a collection of exercise sensors to study Granddad’s regular exercise round his home. When the system notes a change in sample, it notifies a name heart or sends an e-mail alert or textual content message to a chosen get together.
Pc Glasses Aren’t a Ache within the Neck
Does the computer-savvy senior in your life put on bifocals, trifocals, or progressive-lens eyeglasses? These glasses should not optimized for viewing a pc monitor. When sporting such glasses on the pc, Grandma has to tilt her head backward so she will be able to give attention to the display screen when she is trying by way of the underside a part of the lens. To place it mildly, this offers her an enormous ache within the neck.
The excellent news is that it would not need to be this fashion. Grandma will get pleasure from her pc time a lot extra when you spring for a set of prescription pc glasses. Contact your pleasant optometrist and ask for particulars. You’ll want to ask your eye-care specialist about glare-resistant lenses, additionally crucial for pc customers.
Maintain Grandpa within the Loop With a DVD Participant and Slide Present
Need one thing actually particular for the senior within the household who’s shut in, or maybe residing in a seamless care facility? How a couple of small, moveable DVD participant and a particular household slide present disc? Contact the prolonged relations and ask for digital pictures-both previous and new. Compile your assortment; flip it right into a slide present utilizing PowerPoint, Microsoft Plus! SuperPack for Home windows XP or another slide present software program; after which burn it to a DVD. (If utilizing PowerPoint, you may want to incorporate the free PowerPoint viewer on the DVD disc).
Keep in mind so as to add titles and captions to every image so Grandpa is aware of what he is . You may also shoot some video, edit it, and ship alongside a video manufacturing that your senior can watch within the privateness of his or her personal room.
Moveable DVD gamers vary in value from $30 to a few hundred {dollars}. You could ensure that the machine you select can play DVD+R/RW. In any other case, there can be solely disappointment when your home-recorded DVDs will not play.
You might additionally embrace a couple of of Grandma or Grandpa’s favourite films with this reward. And, just like the Internet cam described above, your senior would possibly recognize some directions on tips on how to use this reward
VoIP Means Inexpensive Lengthy-Distance Calling-Anyplace
Are the relations unfold over the 4 corners of the globe? If that’s the case, VoIP suppliers akin to Skype, Vonage and others make it doable for seniors to remain in touch with out worrying about astronomical phone payments 폰테크.
Give your senior a microphone with headset (beginning at round $20), or maybe a particular Skype telephone. Be sure that Grandma has assist with the Skype software program set up, which could be difficult. Supplied all events have a Skype account, Grandma can discuss with anybody, no matter the place they dwell, freed from cost, utilizing the microphone or the Skype telephone. If she plans to telephone somebody who can be utilizing a landline telephone, purchase her a Skype credit score or two costing about $14 every. Charges per minute range relying on location. For instance, a Skype name produced from Canada to a landline in Israel price about $8 for thirty minutes.
An iPod Means Music, Audiobooks and Newscasts-Anyplace!
Contemplate giving Grandpa the reward of moveable music and newscasts. With an iPod or different comparable machine, your senior would not need to miss their favourite newscast or different present whereas they stroll across the neighborhood.
Audiobooks are notably appreciated in case your senior has problem studying resulting from failing eyesight. You would possibly think about including a present certificates from iTunes or from a service like Audible.com, for instance, together with the media participant. At Audible.com, you pay $7.49 for the primary three months, then $14.95 afterward. Your senior will get one downloaded audio guide per 30 days, chosen from the searchable database of round 40,000 titles.
iTunes equally has many selections, together with films, tv reveals, music, audiobooks and podcasts. You’ll want to introduce your senior to the world of podcasting, if he is not accustomed to it.
Different miscellaneous concepts embrace a TiVo (seniors get weary of commercials, similar as you do), or maybe an AirO2bic pc mouse , a tool designed for use by arthritic fingers.