More tweaks to mom's gadgets

Yesterday's issue with mom was some text message she got. She has this little old flip phone that you can see like 4 words of the text on her screen and have to keep scrolling down to read it all. Apparently she was downstairs in the common area when she received it, so she asked someone who works there what it means. Of course she had no understanding of what they were trying to explain (I don't even think they really knew) so they wrote on piece of paper for her to tell me that it looks like some app is going to be discontinued, but her phone is probably ok. She tried to read the text message to me. Something about a Brew app discontinuing on  9/30? I looked on her phone log and it shows no text message received, so I'm guessing it came directly from Verizon, as I don't think those show up in her call log. She doesn't even have a smart phone or data on her phone. Not sure why Verizon would even send her something like that. I have Verizon, smart phone and data and received no text. I tried to explain to her she doesn't have apps/smart phone to it doesn't apply to her. She has no idea how to delete a text (so she'll probably see it in a couple days again and call again.....)

So, guess what I did? I disabled text messages to and from her phone! She has never texted and of course never will. Hopefully that also stops the texts from Verizon. All's she needs to be able to do is take and make calls. One less headache for me to deal with. Then last night I get a text from uncle that mom was worried someone was trying to get into her computer. I told him it was fine - it was her Windows10 updating and taking a long time because she never leaves her computer on more than like a half hour. Apparently she also called him a couple of times about it, but why she called him yesterday (around same time she called me about the text) about it, I'm not sure. Her computer is literally turned off 23.5 hours a day, if not 24 as I know some days she probably doesn't even get on it. No one can hack into her computer that is off.

I really don't know how to make her life any simpler, short of no phone and no computer! I have tried to set up her computer as simply as possible. Literally the only thing on her desktop are 4 icons: Firefox, Solitaire, Team Viewer and Recycle bin (and I should just delete that icon). When she opens Firefox her "favorites" are tabs on top that she can click on to access: email, banking, facebook (which I don't think she looks at anymore at all). She knows how to go to the start icon in lower left and turn off her computer when she's done......until she's rattled and then she can't remember how.

A few years ago (before memory issues) she wanted an ipad mini and we set it up for her. I wish she had "taken" to it and she could just use that for games and email viewing, but she never really quite understood it for some reason. Now she doesn't even remember she has it and when I tried to get her to start using it last year, I had to buy a new charger, which now isn't found anywhere either. A few weeks ago I just took the ipad home with me to get charged up. I will use it for her "virtual visit" with her doctor (I have to load 2 apps to do the appointment) but will probably just end up keeping the ipad for myself. Mine is like 5 years old and I can't update it anymore and most apps I can't load on it now, as it's too old.

I wish she was more into watching tv - that would take up more of her day. She usually watches some in the evenings, but has never watched during the day. She does still love to do easy crossword puzzles. I think she tries to read a little, but I'm fairly certain she is not really completing a book anymore (there is no way she could remember the storyline). She likes to play a little solitaire on her computer. Thankfully she is doing quite a few activities. Every 3rd day her floor gets to eat meals in the dining room so that gets her out and about. The other day when I called she was just sitting downstairs in the common lounge area and chatting with people as they came and went, so that is good, too.

I try to vary the time of day I call, just to give her a bit of variety, LOL. Sometimes I'll call around 10:30. Other times I'll wait until after lunch or around 4pm. I don't usually call in the evenings as I know most days she talks to my uncle in the evenings. 

On a good note, the times I do talk to her in the morning (and when she stayed here) she seems to not be having those mornings where she "just doesn't feel well" hardly at all now. Remember, before she would have to call downstairs and tell them she wasn't coming down for breakfast. Or if I was coming that morning she was calling me to say she didn't feel well. Haven't had any of those in quite awhile now - and she had that issue for close to a couple of years.

I have a friend/facebook friend who is 78 years old today. One year younger than my mom. Boy, what a difference. He and his wife just bought a new home and seem so healthy, young, and mentally there, compared to my mom. I think they both navigate Facebook better than me, haha! I hope I am like them when I am that age.