With the holidays coming soon and other gift-giving celebrations always on the horizon, you might be thinking about getting the perfect gift for your elderly loved one. And while you might be considering getting them something tech-related, there are a few things that you’re going to want to think about before you go off and buy them the latest piece of tech to bring into their home or assisted living facility.
To help you in determining what tech might be right for them, here are three things to consider before giving your elderly loved one a tech gift.
Give Simple Tech That Will Improve Their Life
The tech that you want and will work well for you is likely different from the tech that your elderly loved one would find helpful to them. So before you buy them something, really think about how simple it would be for them to use and how much it would actually improve their life.
In many cases, elderly people want tech that’s very simplified and easy to use. If something’s too complicated, they may not even use it at all. Additionally, there should be a very obvious reason and purpose for them to use this tech, like a robot vacuum that takes care of cleaning for them.
Set Devices Up For Easy Use Prior To Gifting Them
Once you’ve decided on the device that you want to give your elderly loved one, you should make sure that you set everything up for them before you give it to them; don’t just handover the box and expect them to know what to do next.
Part of your gift to them should include setting up the tech so that they can just use it as they need. You should also go over the features and maintenance with them so that they will feel comfortable and confident using this new tech.
Write Out How To Deal With Common Issues
With all tech, there’s always a chance that something could go wrong or break and need to be fixed. But if your elderly loved one doesn’t feel comfortable troubleshooting these issues on their own, you should be sure to write out how they can deal with common issues that might arise.
By writing down what they can do and even providing images in a guide for what they should do in specific situations, your elderly loved one will be much more likely to be able to figure things out on their own. However, you should also tell them that they can always reach out to you for help.
If you want to give your elderly loved one a new piece of tech for a gift, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do this successfully.