The definition of patience

[gritsar]

Oh and Ranchy you'll love this....

We bought the new phone and set it up while Dad was spending the night at his girlfriends house (don't even go there

). Since my sisters have spent the last 18 years complaining to my dad that they didn't like hearing my voice on his answering machine, when Keith set the phone up, he left the male voice that comes already in the phone on it.

The morning we came home, right before we left, my dad told me he didn't like what he called the "mechanical voice". He said he wanted my voice back on it instead. What was I s'pose to do????

 

[HarlansHollowFarms]

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[ranchhand]

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I would never even dream of bringing up the fact that your 88 year old Dad spends the night at his girlfriend's house!

 

[gritsar]

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I would never even dream of bringing up the fact that your 88 year old Dad spends the night at his girlfriend's house!

Okay, but is your DH still laughing about it?

 

[tnmamaw01]

You are truly a good egg! Your dad is a blessed fellow!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Girl Raised, I understand where you are coming from. My father in law is way upper 80's and living on his own with just a bit of help. Cleaners coming in weekly and help with transportation, things like that. His son, my brother in law, loves to buy him all kinds of complicated gadgets. If he has time, BIL will set them up, but he is not always around long enough for that and is hardly ever around when things need re-setting up. That usually falls to my wife, her sister, and sometimes even me.

FIL does real good for his age, but is a bit forgetful. He actually does pretty good with some of that complicated stuff, but BIL seems incapable of understanding that simple can be better. He makes life a lot more complicated for his dad, two sisters, and me than he really needs to. He means well. He thinks he is getting something "better" by getting something with all the bells and whistles, but with older folks especially, simple is definitely better.

 

[gritsar]

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Exactly! Did Dad really need a microwave that can cook an entire meal, in up to 4 "stages", that sister #4 helped him pick out? No, he needed the $50 one like I have that would have heated his coffee up just fine.

Dad is wearing a medic alert "help I've fallen and I can't get up" type of thing now, which I'm thankful for. He's not quite ready for the housecleaning service yet, doing pretty dang good by himself.

Oh and the new phone/answering machine only has 4 buttons on the answering part, all very large, all easy to find. Play/stop, back, forward and erase. Thing lights up like the 4th of July when it rings, which is good since Dad's eyesight is failing. Much to my embarassment I found out there is absolutely nothing wrong with his hearing. I found that out when I said something not-so-nice about one of my sisters in a whisper, from the other side of the house.

 

[ranchhand]

Ridge, you are so right. I had several microwaves with all the digital keypads and such. When it became time for another, I got the one with 2 knobs. No high tech stuff at all. 10 years later and I still love that little beastie!

I'm only 55, but while I love some technology, I still like the KISS theory more!

 

[Carols Clucks]

I know you are not there anymore, but what I did was tape colored dots to certain keys and write instructions in 1" letters.

And kept a copy of the instructions so I could talk them through it over the phone.

Mom can get a dvd to play now! And I only have to come clear the answering machine every now and then.


The biggest problem I have, is that they seem to think that the harder they press the button, the better it works. Thus turning things on and off a dozen times with one hard push-and for tv's it is a lot of broken remotes.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

I can tell you treasure your dad

I always tell my MIL - I am thankful to help her with anything she wants to do. She raised 5 kids and made sure I got the best one - so I really feel I owe her.