Technology and Aging: Adventures with an iPad - Week 3

Technology and Aging:  Adventures with an iPad 3
Week 3:  iPad camera & Doodle Buddy

This may not come as a surprise to you if you’ve actually read my first two posts but I’m not an iPad expert.  My son, who is currently working in Newfoundland (pronounced like understand in case you were wondering), comes home from time to time and teaches me cool new tricks.  I’m always impressed and vow to use each one forever and ever then promptly forget not just how to do it but what “it” even was.  Oh, well…

What I will share with you are apps that make me and my clients happy.  Some are “educational”, some are just for fun.  Some are “therapy” and others are silly.  All have been “tested” with my clients and proven to be successful for one reason or another.  Rather than give you a laundry list of apps, I’m going to tell you stories of how my clients and I have used the apps then you can decide which you want to explore further.  I’ll include a screen shot or two (just because my husband showed me how to do it again and maybe if I use it every week, I’ll remember.  If the screen shots quit appearing, you’ll know I forgot…either that I was going to include them or how to do it.)

Today I thought we’d talk about doctors…and waiting.  Have you ever had an appointment for say 10 o’clock and checked your watch every 5 minutes wondering if you would EVER get in?  I have.  It’s hard enough when you’re by yourself but when you have a client with dementia with you, the waiting can be even more challenging.  What to do, what to do, what to do…

Thank goodness I had my iPad with me.  We arrived on time for the doctor’s first appointment of the day.  The lights weren’t even on in the waiting room.  This was going to be a snap.  He couldn’t possibly be behind yet.  We’d be in and out in no time.  But wait.  And that’s what we did.  After 15 minutes of chatting (and waiting) I pulled out my iPad.  I clicked a picture of my client with my iPad camera and showed it to her.  She smiled (both for the photo and after, when she saw it) and asked, “Where’d you get a picture of my mother?”  And you know what?  It did look like her mother!  We reminisced about her family for a while…and waited.

 Looking for something interactive for us to do, I pulled up the Doodle Buddy app.  It’s just as it says…your own personal buddy to doodle with.  We played tic tac toe, drew pictures (sad faces because we’d been waiting so long) and she wrote her name (which I won’t show you because as a geriatric care manager, I take confidentiality very seriously).  Anyway, thanks to Doodle Buddy, time didn’t fly but it did pass and eventually we saw the doctor and left without tearing out all our hair (hers is the most beautiful white you’ve ever seen).  Moral of the story, never go to the doctor without a buddy!  

It’s hard to see in this Doodle Buddy screen shot but there are lots of fun things you can do with this app.  You can change colors, mediums (glitter might be cool!), shapes, etc.  Let it bring out your inner child!

P.S.  I happen to have the free version but for $0.99 you can hide the ads.  

Chris Hicks, C&S Care Manager

C&S Care Management, Inc.

chicks@cs-care.com

Office:  281-550-8444

15430 Ridge Park Drive

Houston, Texas  77095