Posted under Marketing Massage for Special Populations & Massage for Elders & General
Recently I was in Nebraska volunteering at the Rowe Sanctuary, a nature center along the Platte River where thousands of Sand Hill Cranes gather on their way to points north. People of all ages from around the world visit the sanctuary to witness this spectacle of nature. One day, I was given the task of operating what is called the Crane Cam. It is a remote camera located on the river and images are sent to the web through the National Geographic website. While I was operating the camera, a curious couple approached. After I explained how it all worked, the woman told me about her mother who is in a nursing facility in another state. Evidently her mother has been to the sanctuary several times and has been an avid bird watcher for many years, but now that she is in a facility she has not had the chance to do it. Well, her daughter became so excited because she had recently set up a personal computor in her mother’s room at the facility. Her mother could peek in on the Cranes via the internet!
A gentleman I provided Compassionate Touch sessions to for several years used a PC to write poetry and letters to his family. It seemed to me that since he was a successful business man in his career, having a desk and computor in his room helped him to retain a part of his identity that was important to him.
A young man with cerebral palsy who resides in a facility I visit regularly plays games and records music on a PC in his room (sounds like a typical 20 year old, doesn’t it?). His keyboard has been modified to compensate for his poor upper body coordination, so he can manage things independently.
I think we will be seeing more and more individuals in facility care with computors and more facilities able to accommodate them. It might serve as one way to lessen the feelings of isolation and boredom that plague so many who must reside in long term care.
What are your thoughts about the link between technology and quality of life for those in facility care? I’ll look forward to hearing from you.
Enjoy the day,
Ann
Stuart Kester on 30 May 2008 at 5:36 pm #
My late wife Melinda passed away a year ago after a three-year battle with breast cancer. She was 72. When she became terminal I kept her at home and was her only caregiver until a hospice came in for her last two months.
Throughout her illness, Melinda enjoyed using our computer for e-mail correspondence, for her own writing, and for entertainment. Prior to her illness, she hadn’t been that enthusiastic about acquiring computer skills, but the empowerment that the computer offers became a major consideration when she became housebound and later, bedridden.
I’m sure there must be other examples of how even “computer illiterate” older people could benefit from computers and new-age entertainment devices such as digital cameras, digital music players, and the like. In an institutional setting, using headphones, these devices could ensure that other people weren’t disturbed.
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