Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with elderly

Recommend easy-to-use software for elderly people

biwa-shu — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:13:04 -0800

Help me with some free, easy to use software for elderly people to use on a computer. Specifically: hands-off, self-maintaining security, and a good replacement for Windows Explorer. I have to set up a computer for my wife's mother to use to Skype us while we're abroad for a year. I imagine that we will also send her pictures or video via Skype chat that she will want to save and view later. My first challenge is choosing free security software that maintains itself and doesn't have too many dialog boxes popping up; then, if possible, I want to find an alternative to Windows Explorer that makes it easier to save and find files.

How to photograph the elderly to be not just flattering but to show fitness and health?

andihazelwood — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:48:57 -0800

I've been commissioned to take photos of a 70 year old nutritionist and her husband, showing them "as fit and healthy as possible." Can you offer advice on how to do it and what to charge? At least one of the photos will appear in a magazine, accompanying an article she is writing on healthy aging. Here is a photo of the couple in question (not taken by me). She told me that she isn't really happy with any previous shots that have been taken of them with the same goal, so it's a tall order - especially considering I don't have any experience photographing older people. I have met her and her husband a few times but we haven't had a lengthy conversation yet, so it'll essentially be shooting a stranger. I let her know that I'm best at candid, outdoors and active, "real people" type portraits as opposed to carefully lit, sedate studio portraits, so we've decided on a 3pm shoot at the beach (it's 11 hours from now, I'm in Australia). I don't know what they intend to wear. I've got a Nikon D70 DSLR, an SB-800 flash, a tripod and somewhere around here I've got a gadget that will allow me to use the flash off camera but I've only done it once - normally for outdoor shoots I've only used flash as fill, and sitting on top of the camera. Through all of this the subject of cost has never come up and I haven't done many paid shoots - how should I charge for this project? Thank you in advance for your experiences and insight!

Can my elderly mother regain muscle mass?

Kevin S — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:23:47 -0800

Can my elderly mother regain muscle mass? 84 year old mother has degraded from cane to walker and of late can barely transition from wheelchair or bed to standing position. This follows various medical problems (stroke eight years ago, renal problems, etc.) but nothing new specifically related to muscle mass. Yes, I know that as we get older we tend to lose muscle mass.

Legs and arms are like sticks; cognitively she is ok and on the phone can sound middle aged. Following medical hospitalization, she is now in a rehab hospital with daily occupational therapy and physical therapy with the objective of returning home.

The rehab hospital seems like a pretty good place with knowledgeable RN's along with intelligent and compassionate PT and OT staff. However, PT and OT together account for only 2 hrs/day. For 22 hours she is on her back or in wheelchair. There may be a rule prohibiting patients from trying to walk (even with walker) on their own - not sure about that.

Questions:

1. If you are off your feet for 22 or 23 hours/day wouldn't leg muscles of even a healthy person tend to atrophy?

2. Is it normal or sensible that a rehab hospital limits "standing up time" to less than 2 hours a day?

3. She has osteoporosis but refuses to take fosamax - any bearing on muscle atrophy?

4. Are there any specific exercises that she could perform in bed or from wheelchair that would help?

Thanks everyone & I know you are not docs.

Never say retire.

StrikeTheViol — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:59:54 -0800

Who are the oldest working professional people? After reading about Manoel de Oliveira, who appears to be the oldest working filmmaker, I wondered about the oldest working people in other fields, for instance, the oldest professor still writing papers, or the oldest lawyer still trying cases in court... all other professions or occupations welcome. The only other example I've found that placed especial emphasis on the working was a Pravda profile of the artist Moisei Feigin.

Transportation and domestic help options for an elderly couple in Stamford, CT

sotalia — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 11:04:28 -0800

Transportation and domestic help options for an elderly couple in Stamford, CT? My mom's aunt and uncle (Olga and Andy) live in Stamford, CT. About two weeks ago, Andy had bypass surgery at the Bridgeport Hospital (about 25 miles away). On Monday he has to return there for a follow-up visit. However, the forecast is predicting snow, and Olga is not at all comfortable with driving in it. Other than taking an expensive cab ride over there, do they have any other (cheaper) transportation alternatives? I Googled and asked the Bridgeport Hospital for suggestions, but neither helped.

Also, Olga is having a hard time taking care of Andy post-surgery. According to my mom, she is pretty much constantly exhausted. I think it would be a good idea to hire someone to help out around the house, even if it's just a couple of hours a day for a couple of weeks. Can you recommend people or agencies in the area that might be willing to do this without charging an arm and a leg? Thanks in advance...

Help find a gift for my Grandpa with Parkinson's

fishmasta — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:07:55 -0800

What do I get my Grandpa who can't do much anymore? My grandfather, who has always been a pretty active person (sports, building things, other physical projects), is in his mid 80s at this point with early, but definitely debilitating Parkinson's disease, so most of the things he's enjoyed his whole life are not an option for him anymore. Over the past few years, he seems to have become bored with his life because of his condition and spends most of his days watching TV and if the weather's nice, cutting the grass, tending to his garden, etc. But he's the type of person who doesn't seem to want anyone's help (so practical things for his condition are out) and thus it's always hard to think of something he could/would use as a gift for Christmas. I want to give him something at least, but I'm totally stumped. Any ideas from fellow Mefites with relatives in similar situations. Also, I'm straight out of college and not making much, so inexpensive is definitely a plus, and I live halfway across the U.S. from him, so things that require me to be there are also a problem (I'm able to get back for a few days at Christmas, but that's about it).

Examples of assistive/monitoring medical devices for the elderly?

superwillis — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:45:39 -0800

Could anyone provide examples of medical devices that assist the elderly / assisted-living patients? (for instance, LifeAlert, the device that can be used to notify authorities if an elderly person is in danger). I'm doing an analysis on such devices, but I need to formulate a list of the different types of technologies available first. Keep in mind, this list includes both monitoring devices and assistive devices.

My printer's got an e-mail!

JakeWalker — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:44:50 -0800

How do I set up a Presto-like service (send e-mail to printer for family member that's not computer savvy) without using a dialup connection? Presto is a product that allows you to send e-mail to someone who doesn't have a computer. The e-mail prints out after a dial-up connection is made a few times a day. So they can't respond, but they can get notes and pictures from friends & family. (http://www.presto.com).

I have a friend who wants to have this exact setup, except that it would have to work through an internet connection, and not through dial-up. It seems like dial-up is the only option with Presto.

They have a PC in the basement, but no one uses it. So if there was some software that you could run on the PC to send the e-mails to, which would in turn send the e-mails automatically to a networked printer, that would be cool. Or any solutions that are exactly like Presto, but allow for a Wired or Wi-Fi internet connection instead of dialup.

Any ideas on how to achieve this goal?

Information on elderly/at-home healthcare market?

superwillis — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 13:57:32 -0800

Information on elderly/at-home healthcare market. As part of a research project, I'm trying to get a "bigger picture" of this elderly/at-home demographic first. I'm having trouble finding basic facts, like what are the most common health problems among this group, etc. Anyone know good resources for this type of information?

I Want Him to be Sedated

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 09:12:30 -0800

Still crazy after all these years filter - what can be done about my dad? (long post following) My dad is in his early 80s, mom is 77. They've been married since 1958. We kids often thought privately that Dad was nuts when we were growing up - for example, he was prone to insane bursts of temper. He never, ever hit us, but he'd yell and scream until his voice went soprano. You could never predict what would set him off; perhaps there were (what he thought) too many glasses in the dishwasher. Then he'd go off on a tirade - we kids drank too much, there must be something wrong with us, we're probably diabetic, it's not normal, etc. He was obsessive about certain things, including the grass (couldn't play on it, might ruin it), long hair (if any of the household drains started running slow, it was my fault because of my G-- damned long hair [I'm a female, and Marcia Brady-style hair was the fashion at the time]), black people (he had a fit one time because I was watching the Flip Wilson Show on TV, and he said that I was just encouraging the networks to have more n***** programming)....I think you get the drift.

He'd often told us and Mom that the reason he'd never been in the service was because he was the youngest son of 10 children (that part was true, and his six older brothers had all been drafted or had volunteered). However, just a few years ago, my Mom was cleaning out a big box of old papers from Dad's older sister's house after she passed away. In it she found a report from a military doctor - apparently Dad *had* been summoned for military service, but after his physical/interview, was diagnosed as having either psychotic neurosis, or neurotic psychosis (she can't remember what order the words were in, nor can she find the paper now). But to this layperson, that sounds like an official diagnosis of "n need of mental help." Am I right? Is there a significant difference between the two diagnoses?

Meanwhile, it's just Mom and Dad at home now, and he hasn't gotten any easier to live with. She's mentioned Dad's behavior and foibles and such to his doctor (she accompanies him to his appointments), but the doctor seems to be of the Old School, and chuckles and tells her that *she's* suffering from anxiety, and offers to give her medications. I think that Dad should be on some sort of anti-psychotic meds. Is there any way to successfully communicate that to the doctor without having to find that old military diagnosis? And can the doctor legally prescribe such meds to Dad without telling him what they're for? (Because Dad will not take anything like Valium or anti-depressants...he'll immediately assert "There's nothing wrong with me!!")

Quality intergenerational time that transcends disabilities

moreandmoreso — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:26:57 -0800

What activities can I initiate with my substantially-deaf, substantially-blind grandfather? I am 23. A while ago I moved to the same metropolitan area as my grandparents. Grandpa's vision and hearing have been going downhill for a while, leading to his increasing frustration. Grandma is not experiencing such problems. Help me make the most of our quality time together, either just with Grandpa or with both. I could meet with them up to twice a month either alone or with other family members.

They are in their mid-80s and still live in their own lake-front house. They walk (slowly) for exercise every morning and manage to do most of the things they need to do around the house on their own. Active activities would generally be difficult.

The current pattern of activity is Grandma invites 3 of us over for dinner, we chat over dinner, and Grandpa misses most of the conversation. If you take care to speak loudly, slowly, and in his direction, he understands most of it.

General suggestions are welcome, but if you need something to get your imagination going... Grandpa was a chemist before he retired and is interested in science, ancient civilizations, Italy, fiction writing, classical guitar/jazz music and harassing squirrels. He taught me to play chess. Grandma reads the newspaper and crossword puzzles aloud to him every day.

Perhaps activities specifically geared to stimulate touch, taste or smell would be engaging?

My 12-yr old German Shepard. It's not hip dysplasia but is it more than arthritis?

doppleradar — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 06:43:58 -0800

My 12-yr old German Shepard. It's not dysplasia, but is it more than arthritis? My elderly german shepard had a sudden change in health and started having incontinence and difficulty walking. It seems that his back legs actually cross each other when he walks and sometimes it looks like his back end is jack-knifing. He seems entirely unaware of his bowel movements (poops where he's laying), but gets up and urinates just fine.

The vet said it was not hip dysplasia, and has put him through different rounds of incontinence and arthritis medication. He is currently on a thyroid medication and a steroidal arthritis med. When first transitioned to these from the the incontinence med it was a radical change for the better, but only for a couple of weeks.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Working through the golden years: jobs for seniors

xo — Thu, 10 May 2007 17:26:10 -0800

What paid work can older (65+) people do when they can no longer do the physical labor they did while young(er) and have not been trained in any other profession? Assume they are of average intelligence, but can no longer stand all day and are somewhat slow at learning technology.

Did the dentist almost kill my grandma?

Scram — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 01:52:25 -0800

Dentist yanked grandma's ten remaining teeth; a few days later, massive heart attack. Connected? Inappropriate? Thank goodness, my 90-year-old grandmother survived the major heart attack she suffered last weekend, while recovering from having all her remaining teeth (which she said felt loose, and which she wanted to "deal with" while she still has all her marbles) pulled and dentures made. Needless to say, I was not consulted before she embarked on this cockamamie scheme.

Because she has been in the hospital, she was not able to wear the dentures, and now when she tries they are quite uncomfortable, and she's worried the $7500 cost has been wasted and she will not be able to wear them at all.

Me, I am concerned that a dentist did this kind of major oral surgery on an elderly patient with a history of heart attack and stroke, rather than trying to save her natural teeth. There are studies showing links between oral bacteria and heart attack, but she was not warned of any risk--in fact, she felt bad for some time before asking grandpa to take her to the hospital.

Mefites with medical/dental experience, does this sound like she received inappropriate treatment? Does she have any recourse (complaint, new or adjusted set of dentures)? Should the family be furious?

Is it possible to hire a foreign caregiver?

bhays — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 23:25:28 -0800

Is it possible to hire a foreign caregiver for my grandparents (USA) who need a live-in caregiver? They have had limited success over the years with local agencies and various care givers. I currently live in Taiwan, and have noticed that many of the elderly here have live-in caregivers from assorted S.E. Asian countries. The quality of help they receive seems to be better on average.

I suppose this all comes down to an immigration issue, but I haven't had much luck in searching for info.

Thanks!

How do I help my father retire into an assisted living community?

occhiblu — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 12:03:34 -0800

How do I find and evaluate assisted living, retirement communities, and nursing homes from afar? My father wants my help in researching retirement options for him, and he wants to retire to an area where neither of us currently lives. Google is a bit overwhelming and feels predatory on this topic, and I'm just not sure how to proceed. He's young now -- looking to retire in about ten years -- but has several health problems. (At this point, the main concern is his balance and mobility; he's really not getting around very well.) He's had one stroke, and I'm concerned about how that might continue to affect him cognitively and emotionally.

He's been talking about an assisted living community, or a continuing care community, that will allow him to live independently for as long as he is able but give him access to doctors and PT and help when he needs it, and eventually a place that could move him into more intensive care if and when he needs it without his having to uproot his life entirely. He's in love with Savannah, GA, and is hoping to find a place there (warm weather, fishing opportunities, and lack of hurricanes or earthquakes are his current criteria).

How do I do this? I've been signing up for mailing lists, but I don't even know how to evaluate the info I'm looking at. How do I assess the medical care? The community? Is this going to be semi-pointless unless I can go visit? Do many of these "continuing care" communities even exist right now, or does it make sense to wait another few years and hope the idea spawns more options? Or is there some financial advantage to setting up this sort of arrangement as early as possible? Other thoughts?

Teaching an older blogger new tricks (or how to train a writer over 60 to make their posts sparkle)

BigBrownBear — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 07:06:32 -0800

Teaching an older blogger new tricks (or how to train a writer over 60 to make their posts sparkle) I am the host of a group blog with about 10 different writers. One of the writers comes up with some great material, but his posts aren't very well done. In fact, he mainly just copies and pastes text from the page. I tell him to save the posts as drafts and I combine several together, add pictures, format the hyperlinks, etc...

Unfortunately, this is rather time consuming and I wish he could do this on his own. The problem is that he is fairly old (at least in his late 60s), and not very tech savvy. I really like his contributions, and don't want to scare him off from particating, but I would like to find a way to show him how to do more work on his own.

I'd love to hear some ideas on how I might be able to delicately do this.

Wire my granny!

Scram — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 09:09:32 -0800

What are some wonderful things with which to fill granny's new iMac? My grandmother, who is 89 and has very low tech skills, has agreed to get a computer and try to use it. We've selected the new iMac because video conferencing and VNC will be a big part of our master plan for offering constant tech support from 60 miles away.

We're using parental controls to create a grandma account that can only access a limited range of applications: Safari, iPhoto, iTunes, Skype (for calls to cousins in Irael), Mail, iDVD and a couple of board games that came with the system (for mouse practice). She will only be able to get emails from people whose addresses have been pre-approved, which I hope will eliminate spam and phishing entirely (though I expect her coffee clatch pals will be a hotbed of urban legend forwards).

I've already gone to the Internet Archive and downloaded scads of episodes of her favorite radio dramas (Lux Radio Theater and The Goldbergs) and put them into iTunes, and subscribed to a podcast of radio mysteries. I filled iPhoto with my wedding photos. I built her a google homepage with local and national news and weather, her horoscope, local time, health news and a separate tab for Middle East news.

Now I'm wondering what other goodies she might enjoy, either as part of her system or sites that she could visit regularly. I'm especially looking for a very user-friendly desktop based news aggregator (bloglines is probably too confusing) that could be installed and customized.

Also, does anyone have experience creating an account for a dynamic IP address, so I can keep track of it remotely, without having to call and ask her to read the microscopic widget on her dashboard?

If anyone has set up computers for older folks and can recommend sites and programs that have been especially interesting or helpful to improving their online experience, I'd appreciate any suggestions. I'm hoping that if what we install for her next week is simple to use and fun that she'll stick with it and be glad she made the effort. Many thanks for any ideas you can share.

Should I be worried about my grandmother?

silverstatue — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 11:05:25 -0800

My grandmother was acting very strange last night and now I’m worried. My grandmother is 93 years old, and since my grandfather died five years ago, she became very withdrawn. She lives on her own next door to my parents, but my father literally goes over every few hours every day to wake her up, give her each meal, and put her to bed. She can't walk without assistance. She mostly dozes during the day. On good days, she communicates a little (asks how you are, hows work or school) but not really as if she was engaged or interested.

So last night, out of nowhere, she called my parents up (she hasn’t used the phone in years) and said she wanted to come over for dinner. They brought her over and she was SO alert, talking up a storm, noticing everything around her, commenting on new pieces of furniture and stuff like that. She didn’t doze off once the entire night. We would’ve been happy except that it was so weird, and plus she would say stuff that was slightly off. It was as if she didn’t remember the past five years. For example, she was wondering why it was so hard for her to walk cuz she always walked fine before. And she asked about people who have died in the past few years and was very surprised to hear that they had died. Also she was talking about like, things she’d like to do in the future and how she wants to get her hair done next and stuff like that. It was just so strange, like the last five years didn’t happen.

When other elderly people I have known have neared the end of their lives, they started to lose touch with reality and would do things like want to talk to relatives who had died. But it was more like ranting and raving and being delusional. My grandmother seemed totally lucid last night and she wasn’t saying anything that didn’t make sense, just like she had regressed back to several years ago. She had no physical symptoms (other than suddenly being able to walk much better and without assistance.) She is on no medication other than half a blood pressure pill each morning.

What could this be? Has anyone else seen similar behavior in someone they knew? It’s so bizarre. We’re taking her to the doctor today just in case. Thanks for any advice/anecdotes anyone might have.

Help me help my almost 99-year-old grandmother read again!

pazazygeek — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 08:02:38 -0800

Help me help my almost 99-year-old grandmother read again! Excessively epic story inside. My grandmother is very elderly, but in incredible mental shape. She's very hard of hearing. She wears hearing aides, but you must speak loudly and slowly for her to hear you, and I suspect that she only gets bits and pieces and uses context to fill in the rest. She's been very hard of hearing for a long time, but I can tell that it's gotten much worse over time. I can speak on the phone with her, but we can't talk long. When I visit with her in person, we have long conversations where I ask her all sorts of questions about her long and interesting life.

She also has macular degeneration, and her eyesight is now extremely poor. She stopped listening to the radio and watching television a while back because of her hearing problems, but now she has stopped reading because it is frustrating and too difficult for her. I can tell this is a major blow to her, as she's always loved to read.

She says that she can read with a magnifying glass but that it's "a pain in the ass" - which I can understand. She only has one of those handheld magnifying glasses. I asked her if she had tried books on tape and she says she can't really hear them (not a big surprise).

I plan on visiting a medical supply store today to see if they have anything to help out here - I think I remember seeing a magnifying glass that goes over a book so you don't have to hold it at least, but I'm trying to think of a good long term solution as her eyesight gets worse. I would like to suggest that she learn braille, in case she goes blind, but I'm worried that it will upset her and don't know where to begin with that. I live in Boston and she's here in Los Angeles, and it's rare that I get to see her, so I can't visit with her and help keep her mind sharp like I know that reading has.

So, wise mefites, do you have any ideas here?

Computing for those with short-term memory problems?

planetthoughtful — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:33:00 -0800

Help me help my father: My father is elderly and has problems with his short-term memory. He wants to use a word processor to write about things that interest him, but he forgets fairly basic application techniques, such as how to save, open and create new documents. I'm trying to think of ways to help him that don't mean having to write a 300 page book of instructions aimed specifically for his needs (but if it comes to that, I'll do it). One thought I had was recording animated help files of basic procedures, so he can refresh his memory at each editing / writing session. Another thought I had was installing a portable version of OpenOffice.org and removing any icons / extraneous visual elements I can to make the interface as simple for him as possible. I'm looking for advice from any others who have given this some thought - any help will be very appreciated. Also, if you have any other advice on how I can make my father's computing experience as painless as possible (eg, software recommendations that would allow me to attach to their computer across the internet and manipulate whatever application is causing concern / distress - extra karmic points for free alternatives) , I'd appreciate hearing about those as well. Both PCs (mine and my parents') are WinXP SP2.

Dangerously teetering on shut-in

oflinkey — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 20:40:23 -0800

How to get my parents engaged in life again... Sorry this is long.

Mom and dad are in their mid 60's, and both have significant health issues. Mom has had a few strokes, although she is doing remarkably well (some ST memory loss, sone issues with her left hand from time to time). Dad has cardiac issues and major surgery to correct an aortic aneurism that has left him with a restricted blood-flow to his legs. So, he is a tall, big man and he had a great deal of difficulty walking for more than 200 yards or so (he has looked into getting this issue corrected, but no MD will touch it). Needless to say, they have physical restrictions.

To make matters worse, they moved into a house on a lake about an hour our hometown- a dream at one point. There is a dock and a deck and a little motorized party-boat type thing... problem is they don't use any of this. They don't do anything anymore, and they are in the middle of nowhere. They watch TV, they doze off, they take rides through the country, they go to church, they go out to eat.

This might be fine for most people, but Mom and Dad are constantly complaining of being tired, or sick, or both. I think a lot of it has to do with their extremely sedentary lifestyle. When I call I encourage them to go swim in the lake (when in season), or take a walk around. Dad insists he can't for many reasons (most of them valid-see above), and mom will not wander around in the woods alone.

They have an exercise bike. They have a Nordic Trak. They never use them. When I visit (I am about 4 hours away), I suggest walks/swims, etc. to no avail. There are no community centers where they are, and the church they attend is so small that shares priests with another parish, so that community is almost non-existent. They are "waiting to get the Internet" because they, ostensibly, want to move at some point, although when I ask them about the moving, they say that they are "waiting" to do that. For what? Who knows.

I think they might be depressed, but they see no less than 5 doctors apiece. They are not likely to see any more on top of that. They are just so isolated, with the nearest family member an hour away.

This sounds like an impossible situation, and it is really starting to feel like it. A friend's mother just died at 51, so I am thinking about the fact that it seems like Mom and Dad are sort of giving up and sealing themselves off.

Any ideas of any sort, for me or them, would be appreciated.

Life estates

hdfische — Mon, 01 May 2006 06:21:05 -0800

My elderly mother’s assets are nearly all tied up in her house. She needs cash now for expenses and she refuses to consider a reverse mortgage. One of my two siblings recommended establishing a life estate to protect mom’s home for her to live in, while one of us three buys the remainder estate to provide her the cash to live on. The remainder estate is valued at two thirds the appraised value of Mom’s house. Our mother’s will currently reads that her estate will be divided equally three ways on her death, and she is unlikely to change it. Is it possible that the sibling who buys the remainder estate could actually end up with much more of the total estate than the others by receiving a free-and-clear deed to the house upon our mother’s death while having actually paid only a fraction of its cost (the appraised value minus the value of Mother’s life estate and their own one third interest in the cash value left over from the remainder estate?)

Why are old people stupid?

Bud Dickman — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 10:33:54 -0800

The recent stories about the difficulty our seniors have found in understanding the Medicare prescription benefit, coupled with continual reports of vehicular "issues" among the elderly, make me wonder about old people, and whether I will be just like them when I get there. I realize this is kind of a crass question, but I'm sincere. If we take as a given that people of a certain advanced age tend toward things like poor driving, helplessness in the face of new things and resistance to change, what do we believe is the cause?

The biological degradation of the mind is largely to blame, of course. But is it also related to society and generations?

That is, do you think the current generation of 30-somethings - with our connectedness, our Internet savvy, the technological wonders that comfortably surround us, and our post-modern self-awareness - will be different as elderly folks than the ones we chuckle at today?

Or in the year 2050 will we still be reading stories of kindly, oblivious old gentlemen plowing their hovercrafts into fruit stands and cursing the new, complicated intergalactic tariff forms?

Websites for the elderly?

Rock Steady — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 09:41:48 -0800

What websites will my 80-year-old grandfather love? I'm hooking my elderly grandfather up with his first computer, and I'd like to pre-load a bunch of neat websites for him. He loves science and history, but anything interesting or fun would be great.

The sites must be free, should not require personal information during registration/sign-up (he's already a bit paranoid about the whole Internets thing) and should be easy for a new denizen of cyberspace to navigate.

Similar applications/utilities would also be appreciated (i.e. Google Earth, Skype, etc.).

Let's make this great-grandpa l33t!