I think there are a few of those, but as with everything targeted to scared relatives/caretakers it is quite expensive and hard to tell how it will age.
Nope, that is a good point.
I think I wrote my original message in a slightly distressed state after a quite bad event where she needed to get in contact with anybody and couldn't.
After some thinking and time away from that scary incident it is quite clear that this mostly is a XY situation (as someone thought) and just getting her a bracelet for her alarm is probably as big a technological fix there can be.
Thanks, this looks like a superfun little gadget.
Unfortunately it lacks any kind of sound output[1] so it doesn't cut it for my intended use.
[1] https://wiki.pine64.org/wiki/PineTime_FAQ#Does_PineTime_have_an_audible_beeper_or_speaker?
Thank you, it is evident that I'm having trouble to define my needs and wants in this domain. I'm learning a lot.
Your idea is rather opposite of what I'm looking for and I apologize for not being clear enough.
It is my understanding that many of these devices are health focused but I'm not looking health stuff unless it can be relayed to and used by her professional caregivers.
I'm looking for a wearable basic phone to receive and make calls.
Thanks!
Yes, for sure, it's a little bit of both.
I will try to configure DND mode for her, but I'm not sure it will be enough, but it is worth a try.
The other problem about carrying it around is more difficult. She doesn't manage to carry her alarm around using a lanyard (it will be changed to a bracelet, this change is what triggered the idea to get her a wrist-phone too), so I can't imagine she will carry around her phone either. Maybe with a nice bag? Worth looking into.
Anyway, thanks for the DND suggestion, I will start with that.
Hello,
Edit2:
After some time has passed since the quite scary and depressing incident that happened to my mother and that promted my original post it is quite clear that this is not something that can be fixed with more technology.
There are a couple of small and reasonable adjustments that can be made but other than that this is a human 'problem' that requires humans.
So I'll try to get my mother more services with people coming to her place to help and to check up on her. I will also go there more myself and help her cook, clean, shop, etc (and ultimately I suspect I'll have to move in with her for the end of her life).
Thanks again to everyone that got involved
/Edit2
Edit:
It's evident that I’m having trouble to define my needs and wants in this domain, probably because I know too little. I’m learning a lot and hopefully I will be able to ask better questions soon.
I think that what I'm looking for is a wearable basic phone to receive and make calls.
Something like https://xplora.se/product/xplora-xgo3/ (Swedish, didn't find in Englis ) or maybe even https://www.doro.com/en-gb/products/smart-devices/smartwatch/ but with less vendor lock in.
It seems that having it be a 'real' phone is less common than I thought but connecting to another mobile device with Bluetooth is more common, and I guess functionally there isn't much difference
Obviously I don't expect to find something that fits perfectly, but by aiming high I hope to find something useful
/Edit
I've just started to look into smartwatches and wonder if you could help me with your prior knowledge and experience.
I have some things on my wishlist, but it's hard to understand if they are reasonable and what to look for in all the sales copy and vendor provided specifications.
I know basically nothing in this domain.
Extra background, for context
innehållsvarning
I've started to look into smart watches as I'd like one for my elderly mother that "never" answers her phone as she somedays turns her normal phone off if too many people want to talk to her when she doesn't feel like it but more often than not she simply doesn't get to the phone in time (yes it's a mobile phone, but she uses it as an old cordless landline phone when she is at home).
The idea is to get her a smartwatch with a new number that only I, and her other caregivers and ICE contacts know about so she knows where it is (in her arm) and also knows that it's important to answer when it rings.
Anyhooo....
.
.
- What I require:
- phone calls and text messages by cellular tech[1] (Edit: maybe this is not as easy as I thought initially, it might be more like a wish than a requirement)
- long battery time
- What I wish for:
- ability to turn stuff off (either in the stock OS or with alternative OS that is easy to install), specifically health stuff[2]
- ability to manage the watch remotely so that I can help her keep it updated.
- budget suggestions rather than premium.
- What I'll avoid:
- Vendor lock ins like subscriptions.
- Apple products.
Well, I think that's it, thanks for reading and I'm looking forward to your suggestions and ideas.
/Kruffa
---- [1] I'm not sure what the correct English term is for the tech... but using a SIM-card that connects to cell-towers using GSM/edge/4G/5G or similar.
[2] It's my understanding that these kinds of watches can be used to track and monitor health statuses like SpO2, heartrate, etc. I don't want her to monitor those unless there is a sure way to connect them to health and/or emergency services.
Ok, thanks I will have to dive into Emacs then and give it a try.
For app supported habit forming there are some gamification apps that some friends swear by but they’ve never really done it for me
These kind of apps come close to a subset of my needs, but their focus on tracking every thing and the long lists of everything just work against me.
As I wrote in another comment, the problem isn't keeping track when things go well, the problem is getting to a state where things go well.
Oh, I know, procrastination is my drug of choice...
Fortunately I have a job that requires presence and readiness to act but very little actual work so I can indulge in this kind of thinking and these projects here :)
While I'm not primarily looking for a discussion about strategy I do understand it's inevitable, so...
While this seems like a great strategy for you, it isn't for me, I've tried this and many other strategies and failed at all.
I'm looking for this specific capabilty in the format because what I need is a low-stakes way to get back on the horse. And from my research and knowledge about myself this requirement ("forget if not done") is the best I can work with. If you have ideas or systems that deal with this I'm open to discuss them
I don't really need help when things are going well, but I will fail and I will drop all the balls and almost everything else for a few months for reasons, some days I will forget if I took my 08:00 medication or if I have eaten. Some weeks I wont be able to call my mother to check on her or my friends to make plans.
I need a place to see 3-5 meaningful things I can do right now, because if there are too many I get overwhelmed. If there is a long list of things I haven't done I get too discouraged or if I have to start by figuring out what to do I get stuck on finding the best thing.
So, while I'm glad you can manage to just fucking do it, I can't.
(First post, let me know of any cultural "faux pas")
As many others I struggle with managing my day to day/week/month/year/decade, so naturally I'm looking for some kind of TODO-software.
I'm trying to find an open[1] format for todo-items and -lists that has the capability to give recurring todo:s the attribute of "droppable" so that an individual occurrence can be "dropped".
It would also be fantastic if the format has an inbuilt way to keep track of what individual occurrences have been "done" or "dropped"
This would allow me to keep track of things like:
- Medicines: recurring (sometimes many times a day) with a fairly small window if opportunity, if I don't take them it should be noted but there is no way to do it later so it should be "dropped" from the main-list.
- Bills: recurring with a few days of being actionable (depending on when I get paid and the bills due date), if I don't pay them it should be made higher priority until I pay them, this should also be kept track of.
- Cleaning windows: recurring, with a big window of opportunity, but if this particular spring is a bad one it doesn't matter, this should be dropped and there is no need to keep track of it.
- Things that are considered "habits" (like personal hygiene, exercise, cleaning, practicing musical instruments, etc). These should be dropped and tracked.
The goal is to be able to produce a fairly short list of things that I can[2] do right now and absolutely bury things I can't or shouldn't do.
If there isn't any decent format I will most likely just force one of the two mentioned with some kind of appropriate extension.
/Kruffa
---
[1] open in this context would be some kind of standard like VTODO or just openly available like todo.txt
[2] can as in MUST / SHOULD / MAY