All too often, children move miles away from their parents. Young people need to go where the jobs are, and these days that often means moving out of state, away from family and friends. Parents often enjoy traveling to visit their grown children who have moved out of state and enjoy busy schedules with their own families and their work.
As the parents begin to age, they frequently are unable to travel and most of the communication is by telephone. However, many of today’s seniors grew up without a telephone and learned to think of the telephone only as a devise for sharing short bits of information. Many children feel like a three to five minute conversion is not adequate to keep the lines of communication open with their aging parents. Many find it difficult to enjoy a visit by telephone and worry about the cost of a long-distance call. If the parents become hard of hearing, it is even more challenging to have a satisfactory communication. If the parent later suffers from dementia or Alzheimer’s, communicating by telephone is frustrating for all.
Video conferencing is possible today, using a computer that is quipped with a camera and microphone and a high speed internet service. It’s a great way to stay connected and have face-to-face time when you can’t be with family and friends. Video calls using Skype, which are completely free to users, are probably the most widely used videoconferencing system. For the elderly, the use of Skype in place of a traditional telephone call has many advantages. The first and biggest advantage is getting to see the person they’re talking with. As an added bonus, they can see the surroundings; a family home, children playing, pets running through the room, etc. Family members can group by the telephone, and even the youngest child and the family pet can join the conversation. They say “a picture is worth a thousand words”, and video conferencing is one of the best examples. You can see someone wearing or using a gift you have recently sent and see from the expression on their face how much they really enjoy the gift. For the hard of hearing, the video picture aids greatly in comprehension. All this and there is no need to be concerned about cost, because using Skype is free.
One word of caution; using a computer is often confusing and frustrating to senior citizens. Even those who used computers in their younger years may find that they no longer have the patience or desire to operate the computer. Fortunately, caregivers and family members can help out.
Those involved in health care and services to the elderly are beginning to recognize the value of Skype and make it available to the elderly. It has been said that once the senior’s independence is taken away, this can be their interaction, keeping them connected to the world of friends and family. Many residential homes for the elderly are providing computers with high speed internet access that can be used by the elderly for the video calls. There are often volunteers, local family members or even health workers who will help make the calls with the computer. The joy that these face to face visits give the elderly makes it a worthwhile endeavor and something that should be made available to all seniors everywhere.
Janet Smytherton has enjoyed working with the elderly for the past 20 years. Her focus is on providing our elderly with Quality Assisted Living Facilities. HerDirectory of Assisted Living Facilities in California is an online resource that does not require the user to give personal information.