A pair of brothers lost their sight to a rare genetic disorder. They’ve now turned that disability into the motivation for a quest: to make sure no one else has to go thru what they did.
“Inspiration for the brand came during a shopping trip to Bloomingdale’s in New York City. The brothers were celebrating the news that experimental gene therapy had successfully reversed a teenager’s blindness.
Eventually, they lost each other somewhere between the ties and shoe departments, and once they reunited, discovered they bought the same soft shirt.
“That set off a light bulb in our heads,” Bradford recalls. “We thought, ‘What if this could be our way to make medical breakthroughs on blindness feel real to people? What if we started a clothing brand to help the groups doing this research?’ “
The company’s website organizes many items by softness rather than color, and many items have braille reliefs woven into the fabric to make them truly blind-accessible.
Brought to you bysmpltec.com, Technology for Seniors News.
Eventually, most of our elder loved ones will get to a point at which they can no longer live independently. In many cases, we caregivers will offer to take that loved one into our home. The transition can be difficult emotionally, even before you consider what it’s like to live with someone who is in the early stages of cognitive decline. But, there are some steps you can take to help keep your elder loved one safe without turning your home into a prison.
Door Alarms. Wandering is the #1 fear of many caregivers. The thought of a loved one walking off and ending up in a dangerous situation keeps many people up at night. But something as simple as a door alarm on an exterior door – paired with a properly installed chain or slide lock – can do wonders for preventing wandering incidents. Whatever you select, do not put a lock on an exit door which the care recipient cannot open. That is a massive hazard and may even violate fire codes in many areas.
Interior door locks. The dangers inside the home are often as bad as that outside. Garages, basements, and workshops can all contain a variety of hazards for someone in the early stages of cognitive impairment. Putting a lock on those sorts of rooms – either a standard key lock, a digital passcode lock, or a “confounding” lock – can help keep your loved one out of danger. Additionally, as some seniors age, they begin to lose some respect for social norms. Which is to say, they get nosy and intrusive, including not respecting others’ personal time and belongings. A robust lock on the bedroom, while you are out, can help stave off some of the worst intrusions.
Stove Guardian. Carelessness and lack-of-focus can seem harmless, but it can also manifest in dangerous ways. These include leaving the burner on the stove or cooktop after they leave the room. There are a variety of devices available now which will either turn the oven off if movement has not been detected, or if the fire alarm goes off.
Medication reminder. Failure to take medicine properly – either under- or over-dosing – can lead to tragic consequences. But, these situations can be prevented with some fairly basic items. A sturdy, 2-week capacity pill dispenser, a whiteboard with spaces to check off when a dose is taken, and a reminder clock like our Reminder Rosie can work in conjunction to help keep your loved one schedule with their medications.
Grab bars & rails. Pretty much anytime your elder loved one has to get up from a sitting or reclining position, there is the danger of a fall. They can’t all be avoided, but the vast majority can be prevented with properly sited & installed grab bars or rails. There are obvious places for them – in the shower, next to the toilet, near the bed – but there are less obvious danger points, too. Is there a big step at the front door? That’s a frequent fall hazard. A solid grab bar just inside the door can be used going both ways and may save a lot of pain. The caregiver should spend a day going about their routine and explicitly thinking about where and how they get up from a seated position if there isn’t already something solid to grab onto, considering having a grab bar installed at that site.
Caring for an elder loved one can seem overwhelming, but a little bit of planning, preparation, and prevention can go a long way towards making everyone in the home safer and happier.
Brought to you bysmpltec.com, Technology for Seniors News.
From the NY Times, comes the possibility that Alzheimer’s could be detected early via a simple writing test.
“For the Alzheimer’s study, the researchers looked at a group of 80 men and women in their 80s — half had Alzheimer’s and the others did not. But, seven and a half years earlier, all had been cognitively normal.
The men and women were participants in the Framingham Heart Study, a long-running federal research effort that requires regular physical and cognitive tests. As part of it, they took a writing test before any of them had developed Alzheimer’s that asks subjects to describe a drawing of a boy standing on an unsteady stool and reaching for a cookie jar on a high shelf while a woman, her back to him, is oblivious to an overflowing sink.”
The study in question wasn’t even designed with Alzheimer’s or other cognitive disorders in mind. But the Framingham Heart Study – in action since 1948 – has been a treasure trove of data in the past. That data shows that signs of cognitive disorders show up in these writing & drawing tests years – or even decades – before other symptoms emerge. An AI algorithm was able to predict, with 75% accuracy, who would or would not develop Alzheimer’s based just on those tests. Tests of that nature are incredibly easy to administer, and feeding them into that algorithm could revolutionize early diagnosis of the disease.
Brought to you bysmpltec.com, Technology for Seniors News.
A recently released study from the University of California-Riverside may for the first time confirm the causal factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
“Researchers at the University of California- Riverside (UCR) recently published results from a study that looked at a protein called tau. By studying the different forms tau proteins take, researchers discovered the difference between people who developed dementia and those who didn’t.
The tau protein was critical for researchers because they wanted to understand what the protein could reveal about the mechanism behind plaques and tangles, two critical indicators doctors look for when diagnosing people with Alzheimer’s.
By analyzing donated brain samples, researchers found that those with brain buildup, like plaques and tangles, but had no dementia had a normal form of tau. However, those who had a “different-handed” form of tau and developed plaques or tangles did have dementia.”
Those “plaques or tangles” can build up in cells instead of being properly disassembled by normal cell processes. It’s believed that this buildup is the cause of Alzheimer’s. So what does this mean in the short term? Likely nothing immediate, but this sort of research could be foundational to a test or treatment down the road.
Brought to you bysmpltec.com, Technology for Seniors News.
A pair of brothers lost their sight to a rare genetic disorder. They’ve now turned that disability into the motivation for a quest: to make sure no one else has to go thru what they did.
“Inspiration for the brand came during a shopping trip to Bloomingdale’s in New York City. The brothers were celebrating the news that experimental gene therapy had successfully reversed a teenager’s blindness.
Eventually, they lost each other somewhere between the ties and shoe departments, and once they reunited, discovered they bought the same soft shirt.
“That set off a light bulb in our heads,” Bradford recalls. “We thought, ‘What if this could be our way to make medical breakthroughs on blindness feel real to people? What if we started a clothing brand to help the groups doing this research?’ “
The company’s website organizes many items by softness rather than color, and many items have braille reliefs woven into the fabric to make them truly blind-accessible.
Brought to you bysmpltec.com, Technology for Seniors News.
We’re living through the era of social distancing, but that means remote social contact is more important than ever. It can be particularly difficult for seniors to get over the technological hurdles that come with modern teleconferencing. But there are steps you can take to make sure your senior loved ones can stay in touch during these trying times.
The hardware:
The simplest teleconference solution is a basic laptop computer. Simple laptops can be bought for as little as $200, and almost all come with a camera and microphone built in. Alternatively, you could get a screen-based digital assistant, like the Google Home or Amazon Echo View. These also have cameras and microphones built in, but can be tricky to set up for someone who isn’t tech savvy.
If they already have a computer, then a basic USB webcam with built-in mic would be the best option. They’re inexpensive, plentiful, and generally very simple to set up.
The software:
Skype – One of the oldest teleconferencing programs, and one of the most common. However, it’s also finicky and it’s user interface can be daunting for inexperienced users. Save this for cases where it’s the only recourse.
Google Hangouts/Facebook Video Calling – Two very similar programs from the biggest tech companies on earth. Both are also among the easiest to use, and chances are your senior loved one already has an account on one, if not both, platforms.
Zoom – You’ve probably heard a lot about this program on the news lately. Tons of schools, business and even medical providers are using it to interact with people remotely. It’s a great bit of software, but it’s a little trickier to set up than the alternatives listed above. But, if there are kids or teens in your life, it may be worth the effort to get this up and running, since it’s becoming so ubiquitous and will make it easy for younger ones to keep in touch with their elders.
Ideally, you should set up & test the equipment on your own and either bring it to, or ship it to, your loved one. If you have to ship it, make sure a set of clear instructions are included with the device. If you can contact the facility to get the wifi password ahead of time, even better. Make sure there are as few icons on the computer desktop as necessary, and that the necessary teleconferencing app icons are front and center. You want the set up to be as close to “plug it in, turn it on, and click that icon” as possible. Don’t leave things like account creation and system updates for your senior loved one. Giving them a system which is fully set up and updated means they can hop onto video chats and reconnect with their family as quickly and easily as possible.
Brought to you bysmpltec.com, Technology for Seniors News.
The results of an open-label pilot study have found that treating patients with an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using the Parkinson’s disease drug, levodopa, stabilized their disease and improved vision. The study demonstrated that oral levodopa therapy was safe and well-tolerated, and reduced the need for patients with neovascular AMD (nAMD) to receive anti-VEGF injections.
Short version: the same drug which seemed to help macular degeneration (MD) patients, also seems to help those with Parkinson’s disease. How much it helps remains to be seen, but further studies are in the works.
Brought to you bysmpltec.com, Technology for Seniors News.
Making sure seniors get proper nutrition can often be a struggle. But that doesn’t mean mealtime has to be like wartime. With the appropriate preparation and mindset, you can help ensure your senior loved ones enjoy coming down to the dinner table while eating well in the process.
Routine, routine, routine. – I make this point a lot in these blogs, but I cannot stress enough how beneficial a firm – but not totally inflexible – routine can be. Having a designated time and place for meals not only helps improve seniors’ sense of time, but it also allows their bodies proper time to digest. These routines should not be immutable – if you want to go out with friends, do so, even if it means eating a bit earlier or later – but by keeping to this schedule most of the time, you substantially cut down on meal-related disagreements and flare-ups.
Ergonomic & Safety Tableware – Even the mechanics of eating can be difficult for some seniors. Arthritic hands can’t always hold a knife and fork very well, much less bring a full glass to their lips. There are tools you can use to make mealtime less of a struggle.
Flatware with ergonomic grips, typically larger, rounded & textured.
Smaller, lighter & shatterproof drinking cups.
“Move-resistant” plates & bowls. These typically are either heavier or have ‘grippy’ undersides, to prevent them from sliding around the table. This can also be accomplished with textured placemats.
Plates & bowls with lips. These not only make them easier to grip and lift, but they also give you a surface to push food against.
Make sure they have a diet they can live with – Almost all of us “are on a diet,” and that includes seniors. Dietary restrictions tend to accumulate as one ages, and keeping them all in mind when meal planning can be a daunting task. But a diet which is indistinguishable from prison food helps no one. If your senior loved one has a particularly challenging set of dietary restrictions, you really may want to consult with a nutritionist. They not only can tell you what to avoid, but they can also help select foods to replace those you’ve cut out. Most of us are not professional cooks, and even a little guidance can help make mealtimes fun for everyone in the home.
Do not infantilize your senior loved ones – Reading all of these suggestions, it sometimes sounds like feeding an elder loved one is no different than feeding a child. But it’s critically important to remember not to treat them like children. They see the similarities too and are almost certainly quite sensitive to that comparison. Seniors suffer a lot of indignities, but being treated like an infant by people they very likely raised is one they should never have to deal with. No matter how difficult or frustrating mealtimes become, you must treat them with respect and dignity. In other words: how you would expect to be treated.
Brought to you bysmpltec.com, Technology for Seniors News.
After spending more than a decade as one of the faces of the MCU – in addition to numerous
other film projects – Aussie actor Chris Hemsworth has announced he is taking a step back from
acting for a surprising reason: Alzheimer’s disease.
To be clear, Chris doesn’t have Alzheimer’s. But the 39 year old recently underwent genome
testing, and the results showed he carries two copies of the APOE4 gene. Statistically speaking,
that means he is about ten times more likely to develop the disease than a person without any
APOE4 genes.
Consequently Hemsworth made the decision not to retire from acting, but to step back so he
can spend more quality time with his family while he is still able to. Which is an incredibly
laudable goal.
Brought to you bysmpltec.com, Technology for Seniors News.
In the year 2021, we have so many choices for entertainment that we are paralyzed by the options available. But our senior loved ones grew up in a simple era, one where there may have only been three television stations to watch (if that many). That lack of options means people from that era tend to have very similar cultural touchstones. Everyone watched MASH, Ed Sullivan, and Gunsmoke, and that common thread can be something to help senior bond. The only problem is finding those shows nowadays. Some shows – Jack Benny or classic Doctor Who, for example – are unwatchable simply because no copies exist of many episodes. But, many of the most popular shows of the era are available through one of the primary streaming services.
The following is a selection of classic TV shows, and the streaming services they can be found on:
Netflix: The Andy Griffith Show, Cheers, Star Trek, Gilligan’s Island, The Addams Family, Hogan’s Heroes, Bewitched
Amazon Prime: The Carol Burnett Show, Mission: Impossible, The Brady Bunch, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Green Acres, Car 54 Where Are You.
Hulu: Sesame Street, The Beverly Hillbillies, Lost in Space, Mister Ed, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Spy.
Disney+: Wide World of Disney. The Muppet Show. All Disney animated films from 1940-1993.
These streaming services can be accessed through any computer, or set top streaming devices like Apple TV, Roku or Amazon Fire. Pairing these devices with the smpl Universal Remote will make them even more accessible to your senior loved one.
Brought to you bysmpltec.com, Technology for Seniors News.
You can talk to rosie with your normal voice. Using these commands, you can setup and talk to rosie.
hello reminder rosie
Wake up Rosie (trigger). She is now ready for your next command. In addition, will announce all missed reminders.
cancel
Said after Rosie says, “can I help you?” or a beep sound within 4 seconds will put Rosie to sleep.
reminder off
Will turn off reminders.
record reminders
Record a reminder.
What can I say?
Hear all of Rosie’s voice command phrases.
What time is it?
Rosie will announce the current time.
What day is it?
Rosie will announce the current date.
Cancel
Snooze the current alarm.
Wonderful alarm!!!
We needed to get this to protect my Grandmother with dementia from exiting the front door without our knowledge. This has been a Godsend!!!!!
C4Explorer
Exactly as advertised
Purchased and installed this for a friend. It works via radio signal so as long as you have good batteries in the device, it works flawlessly. The base unit is compatible with up to 20 triggers and you can customize the signal for each door or window you’re monitoring. Highly recommended!
Tim B. Whitley
Peace of mind
I have an Autistic child that wanders and an older parent so this all in one kit was great. My mom has the pendant and I use the door alarm for my son. The absolute best part is that the alarm is portable!! I can move around inside n’ outside our apartment and always be aware of alerts.
It’s not terribly loud but since you wear the alarm base it doesn’t really need to be unless you’re a deep sleeper. If you are a deep sleeper than only rely on this during your awake hours and invest in a loud one for naps or sleep.
Also like that you can turn off the alarm on the base as my son figured out alarm means I’m going outside n’ he thinks it’s time to go buy toys lol, so if I just need to take out the garbage I turn it off til I get back inside.
GabeOz
DAD LOVES LISTENING TO HIS FAVORITE CUSTOM PLAYLIST – PROVIDES GREAT COGNITIVE ENGAGEMENT
This music player/radio is outstanding. It is simple to set up, simple to use and well made. (I ordered ours in July 2020. We have had no problems with the construction.) You can add to the pre-programmed songs on the enclosed USB stick, or you can delete those songs and load a custom playlist of favorite songs. Or you can buy an additional USB stick and upload a custom playlist onto that. Make sure your playlist songs are mp3 formatted. (Not iTunes format, THE SONGS MUST BE MP3 FORMATTED. I purchased/downloaded the mp3 songs from Amazon.) I loved putting together the playlist for my Dad. It brought back so many memories and gave me a connection with him that I haven’t had in a long time. Other family members live closer and have been doing most of the heavy living for my Dad so it was great to be able to do something like this from far away. I shipped the radio to his assisted living facility after uploading his favorite songs onto the USB stick. My Dad’s nurse found it easy to set up too. Best of all, she told me our Dad loves it. Music therapy for dementia sufferers is well documented. This music seems to be helping my Dad. He smiles more, he’s engaged and he’s calmer. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
SpryMomDC
Mom LOVES this music box!!!
My 85 year old mother LOVES this music player!!! I’ve tried boom boxes, clock radios, cable tv music, Alexa, etc, but she couldn’t remember how to work any of them.
I went to the website & figured out how to format the music box to work with my Mac. It was fairly easy & after that, it’s just drag & drop. The time consuming part was finding & selecting the music to be loaded. All in all, it’s well worth the time it takes to set it up.
My only suggestions to improve this product would be to make a volume knob easily accessible (mom can handle one knob and some songs are just louder/quieter than others) and figure out a way to access Pandora. It would be much easier for me to pick a great station than find & download a limited assortment of songs.
Mary L
It works well
The max sound level could be higher…. but so much depends on the source so not always a SMPL problem. I found it hard to see the embossed information on the silver buttons. Perhaps add stickers to the package for vision impaired people 🙂 I made up a bunch of flash drives, for different moods for my brother who has dementia and used colour coding and printed info for the nurses. I used 8GB drives and have hours and hours of music on each.
Amazon Customer
Linda D.
Peace of mind
Got this product for my diabetic father who is in mid-stage of Alzheimer’s and so far we’re finding it to be very helpful. He responds daily to our reminder to inject himself. He says he likes hearing our voices. It gives us peace of mind until we can attend to him.
Virginia M.
This is the best clock for a visually impaired person. All they have to do is speak and it changes the times and alarms for them. A very durable piece of equipment and it will speak clearly so you are sure the time is correct.
Judi R.
Love it. Easy to program, great for my mom who has Alzheimer’s. She doesn’t have to do anything and it reminds her of all her various activities, meals, etc. at her retirement home.
Kim M.
I purchased Rosie at the recommendation of a rehabilitation specialist at the assisted living facility where my elderly dad lives. He has his own studio apartment but was rapidly losing his short term memory. As a result, the rehab specialist was working with us to see if we could find a way to allow him to remain in his current unit and maintain his independence as long as possible.
This device is helping him even more than we’d hoped it would. It was a simple process to record brief personal messages reminding him to take medicine, move around and go to meals. He especially likes hearing my voice and he responds well to the prompts.
Easy to use
Easy to setup and easy to use. I had some difficult removing the screw for setup. After that much better than the million button remote from the cable company for my senior family member.
Anita
Great for seniors with low vision
This is a terrific little remote for my 94 year old grandmother that is visually impaired. It set up perfectly for me within a matter of minutes on a Samsung tv with antenna connection (no set top box). Favorite channel buttons were easily programmed. She pretty much only watches 5 channels (FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS) so this remote works well for her and is very simple and basic. Exactly what we need!
Amazon Customer
Great for someone with dementia
I bought this for my mother, who has very poor eyesight and has dementia as well. With the usual remotes she couldn’t see any of the labels, and the sheer number of buttons led her astray. I programmed this control so that the only things that work are the power button, the mute button, and the volume control button.
The battery compartment and the programming controls are locked behind covers that can only be opened with a small screwdriver (supplied).
That does it.
Jerry Schwartz
Over all is a good product
Good product, you might have a little problem programming phone numbers, it doesnt seem to want to accept the numbers at first but if you keep doing it , It will eventaully work. All in All it worked out OK
PMT
Not very good directions, but was able to figure it out.
Purchased for 95 yr old who had mild stroke. With some guidance and training, she was at least able to call us.
Donna J
It’s very helpful
This phone has been very useful for my mother who is 87 and it’s on the early stages of dementia
And Alzheimers, with the pictures she is able to recognize who the people are and it’s very easy to dial just press the button, I highly recommend this phone, we are very happy with this product.
Carmen
The key pad is really big and clear
I needed a phone for a mom that has the beginning stages of memory lose. She was able to operate this phone. Thank you to the company which designed it.
Olivia G Lopez
My Mother-in-Law loves it!
For an aged person, 90’s, she can no longer manage a cell phone. With this new phone she easily manages speed dial buttons and the key pad. This has been a great boon to her keeping in touch with family. She love it.
Mark H
Effortless
How convenient and easy for my mom to use
Mark Rhodes
This is great!!
We got this for my mother in law and installed it yesterday. She argued at first because she said she can see just fine, but we reminded her she can’t remember phone numbers well. She hasn’t made a phone call in at least six months, but about an hour after we set this up, she gave us a call to try it out. So great to see her name pop up on caller ID again!!
Christi Clark
It works well
The max sound level could be higher…. but so much depends on the source so not always a SMPL problem. I found it hard to see the embossed information on the silver buttons. Perhaps add stickers to the package for vision impaired people 🙂 I made up a bunch of flash drives, for different moods for my brother who has dementia and used colour coding and printed info for the nurses. I used 8GB drives and have hours and hours of music on each.
Amazon Customer
Love, Love, Love This Player
I’ve been searching for something simple so my friend/ward with dementia can listen to her classical music and a little Sinatra in her nursing home room. It was super easy to load. It came preloaded with big band music which she also seems to enjoy. I emailed the company for questions and got a prompt reply. Solid, large and very well made. Good sound quality.
Update: being that she lives in a nursing home and lots of her items have gone missing, I wanted to insure this music player stayed put. I talked to the manufacturer and learned the player is actually made of wood. I was able to attach a small lock on the back and then secured it with a small cable to her end table. I drilled hole in the back of the end table, secure a cable clamp inside hidden behind the drawer. It will take pliers and some effort to take (or cable cutter 😔) it if wanted. It also prevents my ward from moving it or dropping it.
JosieofOhio
Absolutely perfect product for its intended purpose
As the computer nerd in my family, I was tasked with finding a music player for my 95-year-old grandmother. She was vision-impaired and pretty forgetful when it came to using devices.
It seems like this should be an easy problem to solve but it isn’t. I spent hours on Amazon reading product reviews and manuals, and more hours going to Best Buy and office supply stores to examine their offerings. Nothing was suitable. Everything requires many delicate button presses to turn on, select the appropriate input source, select the song (so it doesn’t always play the same song first), etc. etc.
After hours of searching, I had the idea to search for “Alzheimer’s music player” and landed on The Simple Music Player. It looked perfect. My family originally balked at the price for something that seems like it should be so simple and cheap. But it was really the only option we had and it ended up being absolutely perfect. My grandmother loved it. In the end, it was money very well spent. Five stars, no question. If you are considering this product, you should probably just buy it immediately!
Ingot Marker
Limitation of Liability
In no event will SiMPL Technology LLC, its representatives, affiliates, associates and the like be liable for any damages, including without limitation
direct or indirect, special, incidental, punitive or consequential damages, losses or expenses arising in connection with any failure of performance of any SiMPL devices.
