Care Tech and Tips - Batteries, Bandwidth, and Birthday Parties: A Caregiver’s Tech Survival Kit

Batteries, Bandwidth, and Birthday Parties: A Caregiver’s Tech Survival Kit

Explicit content warning

11/18/24 • 36 min

Care Tech and Tips

Welcome back to Care, Tech, & Tips! In this episode, Barry and Bobby dive into the practicalities of setting up loved ones in assisted living or senior care. From organizing virtual birthday parties via FaceTime to setting up reliable tech for assisted living, Barry and Bobby share experiences and advice for making life a little easier for caregivers and their loved ones.

Highlights:

Virtual Gatherings: Bobby shares a creative way to host a birthday party for his father-in-law, now in assisted living, using FaceTime.
Choosing Assisted Living Facilities: Barry and Bobby compare their family experiences—what to consider and how to navigate the bureaucratic maze.
Power Backup for Elderly Care: Tech options like portable battery packs, UPS systems, and emergency power setups for residents.
Connectivity Solutions: From Wi-Fi upgrades to mobile hotspots, the hosts cover how to ensure loved ones stay connected.
Self-Care Tips for Caregivers: Barry shares his experience with therapy and techniques for managing caregiver stress.

Tech Tools Discussed:

Apple’s Notes app with voice transcription for keeping track of important conversations.
Using personal hotspots and mobile Wi-Fi solutions in facilities with weak internet connectivity.
Power solutions like UPS backups and battery packs for essential devices in assisted living.

Tune in for a mix of tech tips, personal stories, and practical advice designed to make caregiving a bit more manageable!

Highlights:

Virtual Gatherings: Bobby shares a creative way to host a birthday party for his father-in-law, now in assisted living, using FaceTime.
Choosing Assisted Living Facilities: Barry and Bobby compare their family experiences—what to consider and how to navigate the bureaucratic maze.
Power Backup for Elderly Care: Tech options like portable battery packs, UPS systems, and emergency power setups for residents.
Connectivity Solutions: From Wi-Fi upgrades to mobile hotspots, the hosts cover how to ensure loved ones stay connected.
Self-Care Tips for Caregivers: Barry shares his experience with therapy and techniques for managing caregiver stress.

Tech Tools Discussed:

Apple’s Notes app with voice transcription for keeping track of important conversations.
Using personal hotspots and mobile Wi-Fi solutions in facilities with weak internet connectivity.
Power solutions like UPS backups and battery packs for essential devices in assisted living.

Tune in for a mix of tech tips, personal stories, and practical advice designed to make caregiving a bit more manageable!

Previous Episode

Halloween Fun & Tech Tips: AirPods as Hearing Aids?

Hey there, and welcome to another episode of Care Tech & Tips!

This week, Bobby and I dive into the world of Halloween traditions, tech, and a few caregiving tales that’ll hit close to home. We start off with some holiday fun (yes, I’m in my trusty Kung Fu Panda costume again!) and chat about everything from candy counts to Halloween’s “scary” caregiving moments. T

hen, we get into one of the biggest problems caregivers face today—managing finances and protecting loved ones from tech risks, like leaving checks in mailboxes or handling online payments safely. We also cover how tech can make life easier: I walk you through ways to simplify bill payments, cut down on paper clutter, and keep track of those account balances without constant worry.

One of the highlights this week? We dig into a topic that’s personal for me: using AirPods as hearing aids and how tech like this can be a game-changer for your loved ones. From doing in-home hearing tests to setting up custom sound adjustments, we talk about why these devices are more than just earbuds.

Finally, we chat about getting your loved ones set up with easy access to entertainment (yep, Wheel of Fortune included) and the importance of paring down clutter around the home. If you’re looking for practical tips with a laugh or two along the way, you’re in the right place.

Give us a listen, and don’t forget to subscribe!

Next Episode

What the SNARF is an ADL?

In this episode, Barry and Bobby navigate the alphabet soup of caregiving acronyms like ALFs (Assisted Living Facilities), SNARFs (Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Facilities), and ADLs (Activities of Daily Living). They dive into:

ADLs 101: Why these daily activities are crucial in determining long-term care insurance eligibility.
Preventing Scams: A deep dive into the dangerous “reshipping scam” and practical steps to protect your loved ones.
Tech for Caregivers: From recording calls with iOS 18 to AI-powered note-taking devices like the Plaud Notepin.
The Power of Pictures: Preserving memories through photo scanners and backup tips.
Holiday Caregiving: Tips for juggling caregiving responsibilities while making the holidays special.

Mentioned in this Episode:

ADLs: Learn more about Activities of Daily Living and their role in caregiving here: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/activities-of-daily-living-adls
Plaud Notepin: Discover this AI-powered gadget here: https://www.plaud.ai/products
Reshipping Scams: Tips to recognize and avoid common scams targeting seniors here: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0030-pass-it-on

Listener Call-Out:
We love hearing from you! Email us at [email protected] with your questions, tips, or stories. Who knows? You might inspire our next episode!

Shoutout to Our Listeners:
Thanks, Chicago, for being our top listening city this month! Seneca, SC, and friends across the U.S., you’re amazing too!

Connect and Share:
If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend, rate us 5 stars, and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.