Recently posted a thread about ways to stop being so forgetful! Then I came across another thought. What do you guys think about assistive tech devices to help live healthy lifestyles? For example, I know a device where you can talk to and make lists, create reminders, etc. has come out and has been useful. Other devices include FitBit, which monitors your calorie intake and activity. What are your thoughts? Do you use these devices? What devices do you think would be useful?
I don't use these tech devices and mainly because most of the time they are so expensive...when a written list on a piece of paper or a dry erase board will work just as well for me and cost very little. I have a dry erase board on my fridge and whenever I run low on food stuffs I just write it on that. Tech devices not only cost more but they also limit you using your brain, hands to write, etc. Maybe the ones that help track how many calories you burn when you walk, etc. and take your pulse and heart rate are useful...but many to me are just another way for others to make money off of people.
But how much do you pay a month for that IPhone? I have a cell phone with unlimited minutes that cost me $30 per month. I call on it and receive calls...but nothing else. My laptop is for other things and it cost me $35 per month for Internet usage. That's all I need and I enjoy making my paper lists and using the dry erase board.
I pay $85 but it's like my mini iPad....does everything my iPad does...just smaller. I could easily be on the forum on it all day and there were times I was. The only thing I do write a list for is groceries but only because I'm afraid of dropping my phone if I have it out while at the store.
I think that overall, the new technology is great, and like @Chrissy Cross , I use apps on my phone all of the time anyway, and I need to have a phone; so there is no reason not to use the apps. I always use the Kroger app on my iPad to load all of the digital coupons, so when I buy something that I have a coupon for, it is automatically taken off of the price of the item. I seriously HATE clipping out paper coupons, or even printing them out and then clipping them ! Kroger sends me coupons every couple of months, but I sometimes forget to put them in my slingbag when i go to the store, or actually forget that I have a coupon for something, even when I have it along with me. With the digital coupons, it does not matter if I remember them or not, because they are loaded into my Kroger account, and as soon as they scan my Kroger card, they automatically get any discounts that are on the card. I have started using the shopping list that Kroger has, and put the items that I have digital coupons for on the list, and that helps me to remember that I have the coupon. I also love my Jawbone UP24 fitness tracker. It is a discontinued model that I found on Amazon for under $15, so it is NOT expensive (anymore) and it tracks all of my steps, as well as how well I am sleeping at night. I can add the swimming that I do when we go to the fitness center; and any other activities besides walking. It also shows how many calories I have burned, and if I wanted to, I could even log my meals on there, so it would keep track of the calories I am eating as well as the ones I burn. I do not bother with adding the food on the UP24; but I do have a carb manager app that I use to see how many grams of carbs, fats, and proteins I am getting each day. It is simple to use, and helps me to keep my food regulated better. There are other tech gadgets that I like, and other apps; but just in general, I can say that I think this is a great advancement, and has more benefits than not.
Yep, everything that @Yvonne Smith said....just better than I do. I also use the vons app and digital coupons etc
When I fall over, or slip, or trip, or just keel over for whatever-the-hell reason, I figger it will be caused by a force from above, if there exists such a thing, and that means I'm being called away....... That would mean my time has come. Until the "fall", though, I will fight wholeheartedly to continue to enrage the lives of those around me..... Frank
Thank you so much everyone for your comments, Frank, Chrissy, Yvonne, Babs. I was thinking of getting a device, and all your comments really helped. If anyone has anything else, please let me know.
The only device I use is a timer. This is a hand held timer (uses battery) Got this purely for the laundry, washing takes 41 minutes, when it beeps we go down to the laundry So many people here could use one, their washing sits for 'hours' The timer could serve well for other uses too - handy for sure
If you are thinking of getting a device, @Janet Elice , I would definitely recommend starting out with an IPad. They can use just about any kind of app that you would be interested in, do almost everything that you would do on your computer or laptop (and do it more easily), plus they are portable if you are going somewhere. Once you get used to using the iPad, you will never want to go back to the old-timey computer/laptop again, unless you have a job working with computers and need one for that reason. Many of us on this forum use an iPad or other tablet, and with all of the apps you can get (most of them are free), you can replace all kinds of alarms, shopping lists, and even books and radios. It takes a little getting used to when you first start using a touchscreen; but once you master that, you will love it and wonder why on earth you ever though you needed a mouse or touchpad.
Except for the Internet, which I need in order to supplement my Social Security, I could live without technology. Candles and oil lamps would be fine if I didn't need electricity in order to access the Internet. I rarely bring my iPhone with me, and it's usually not even in the same room while I am at home. Despite having a couple of expensive coffee makers, I often use the percolator. If our house didn't come with a working oil boiler heater, I would prefer wood heat and a wood cooking stove. I haven't owned a watch since I quit being a paramedic, and I have rarely set an alarm for anything, even when I was working several jobs. Waking up to an alarm starts my day in a bad mood. I swear my wife sets alarms in order to remind her to set alarms, and it annoys me to have the damned things going off all the time. I watch a lot of movies but there's something to be said for silence too.