Technology and Aging: Adventures with an iPad - Week 2

Technology and Aging:  Adventures with an iPad
Week 2:  Koi Pond HD Lite

My first introduction to a touch screen came when I was given an iPhone for Christmas by my tech savvy husband and kids.  Really, all I wanted was a phone to call people…isn’t that what phones are for?  I certainly didn’t need all the fancy features…games?  Cameras?  Notes, clocks and calendars?  How in the heck do you make a phone call?!

It didn’t take me long to figure out that this gadget was the coolest thing ever.  And wouldn’t it be great for my clients?  There had to be apps to engage my clients with dementia, or what about keeping in touch with far flung families?  And if my iPhone had potential, just imagine what you could do with an iPad and its bigger screen and icons.  Hmmm…wasn’t my birthday coming soon?!

With iPad in hand (my family does in fact listen when I tell them things, at least occasionally), I traipsed over to the home of my swimming client and his wife.  The first app I loaded for them was Koi Pond HD Lite…hey, it was free and I’m cheap.  My little lady who’d had Alzheimer’s for years and was pretty much non-verbal was instantly attracted to the movement on the screen.  She watched intently as I dipped my finger into the “water” and followed the fish with her eyes as they swam out of sight.  When they returned, she tentatively touched the screen.  SPLASH!  Again they darted away.  She was entranced.  And so was her husband…not by the display but by the actions of his wife who was so often off in a world of her own. 

Together the two of them sat by the side of the pond, sometimes chasing the fish, other times quietly watching the calm, soothing dance of the koi.  What simple pleasure…what great joy!  My first Adventure with an iPad had me hooked (and yes, I get it)!

There are lots of awesome features available, particularly if you upgrade to Koi Pond HD, but for my purposes, the Lite version was perfect.

Here’s a screen shot of Koi Pond HD Lite and, just so you know, it’s not easy taking a picture of moving fish!

Chris Hicks, C&S Care Manager