Keeping up as we all age...tech sector

Been having a few tech issues and coming across some great new tech products and services and its made me wonder how you keep up in your own life with the changes in the technology we use. Whats your plan to evolve as we all get older?

Given my docs comments re genetics and parents ages, all things being equal I am expected to be around for a great many more years.

My Dad (94) has adapted pretty well to continously upgrading and learning new tech. But its been a ever increasing struggle for him and he has been reliant on others often in my view with less knowledge than a pinhead, specifically when it comes to security for assistance. The continously upgrading cycle is also cash hungry and where most of my tools would last me to my end, the upgrade cycle is forced upon one if only for reasons of security.

I have been having issues with my local network given all the "computer activity" in our house. Caused me to dig into some of it myself luckily being a lifelong techie i find it easier to follow and understand but no less daunting when it comes to the security side.

Whats you plan to cope with the above?

Have you stopped to consider how much more reliant you have become on the tech devices around you to engage in contact with your family.

As the next gen is being launched into life they are doing so with a keyboard stuck to their hands. My MIL at 78 is managing at the moment to keep contact with grandchildren around the world through facebook and text but voice communication is unfortunately becoming rare.

She has also become reliant now on hand me down computers from her kids as upgrading is unaffordable and unsustainable.

I see this aspect potentially creating even further isolation for older people as time goes on and the budgetary constraints of upgrade make it even a bigger issue.

Anyone got any ideas, strategies for coping with this issue now or in the future as we all age?

Your post is quite interesting. I was quite a 'techie' all my working life. I was responsible for all of the 'high tech' equipment at the cable companies where I worked. I was constantly keeping my finger on the pulse of the industry and implemented some maintenance procedures that nobody in the industry had ever attempted. I made sure my staff had the best tools possible to do their jobs. After 34 years in television and cable television engineering, I took a position as Program Manager with a manufacturer that did business with cable television companies.

Following the events of 9/11, life was in a turmoil for months. I was in a layoff cycle that had made our last day of work 9/07/2001. Poor timing, yes, but by the end of the following year there were only about a dozen of the more than 320 employees left after the company sold and was raided by the buyers. Jobs were impossible to find, but the time off allowed me to do more woodworking! Financially, we were in good shape but I wanted to go to work. My woodworking got my foot in the door at a cabinet shop - certainly not as 'techie' as before, but it gave me a great deal of satisfaction. I did that for a couple of years while we got some personal financial things arranged, then LOML convinced me to retire. That was ten years ago and I haven't regretted a minute of it.

Techie stuff now? We have one cell phone - a flip-open that does one thing: make phone calls. Nobody gets the phone number; it's strictly for us to use mainly when we're on the road.

Computers? We have a desktop in the office (need to upgrade it soon), a desktop in my shop, and a laptop. I set up a wireless router several years ago, so we're in pretty good shape in this area.

For me, I don't want or need stuff hanging off my ears or out of my pockets to keep in touch every second of the day. If you want to contact me(us), call our home phone and leave a message, send an email, or PM on Fb.

Sorry to get so 'windy'. I guess it's the 'been there, done that' part of me that can do something for a while, then move on without looking back. I don't need any techie stuff, unless you call woodworking tools 'techie'

I am a computer fan and delighted I live to the age of electronic communications. I wrote a computer column for nine years published on an international computer users web site. I gathered information from manufacturers and vendors and wrote of my own experiences with trying new equipment. I am not a techie but described myself as a "perpetual beginner". It helped me keep up with things. But, in recent years the rapid growth in things techie, both equipment-wise and on the 'net has gone beyond what I can keep up with. And, moreso, I don't want to anymore. I spend, at least, three hours on the keyboard every morning and that is too much. A big downside is the decreasing use of telephones and e-mail for personal communications. Nobody talks to anybody anymore. If it weren't for Facebook I wouldn't know what my family is doing. If it weren't for FB I wouldn't know my grandson is taking guitar lessons. Gone are the days when he would have picked up the phone and said, "Guess what, Grandpa, I'm going to take guitar lessons." And we could have had a nice conversation.
It's great but there is a downside. A life lesson is you never get something without giving up something. Rob, you put me on a rant. I could go on about this a long time. No wonder I enjoy reenacting the 1776 era. People actually talked to each other in person. And, if you didn't like the other guy you just killed him.

Lou and I have a cell phone. It is an old one Fina had and we are on her plan. I carry it when on the road (you can ask Larry why I am in control of the cell phone on the road!!). Otherwise, landline or email or snail mail. I am not sticking my head in the sand, but I couldn't keep up if I wanted to. I have so much more going on in my life I want to continue or do, being tied to tech stuff is not my cup of tea. Now Lou is on FaceBook and dearly loves it. She "talks" with family and has met old cousins she hasn't seen in years. I don't see it as a loss of phone conversations, heck my kids talk to me more on the phone than I ever did my folks. I expect my grands will FB Lou and it is a different medium, but it is a connection, communication that can be cherished. Did our grandfolks disparage the coming of the pony express because now you didn't have yearly mail but monthly mail? Did they dislike the train because you could go west in a week what took a year? Our world has always evolved and I hope it always does. We are just getting to the age that we realize what we can't or won't or don't want to comprehend anymore.

Well, I won't speak for myself...you know I'm a geek, but my 89 year old uncle has grasped the computer world, mostly for using skype to talk to family and managing his picture collection. More than once he's had to either have me or someone recover his albums of pictures from a crashed computer. He's now learned to use DVD Backups. The only thing that's a road block for him now is his eye sight. He's gotten to where he can hardly see much in front of him. May have to look into one of the the text to speech programs for him soon.

The older I get, the less it is about toys and geek tools, and the more it is about what I really will need and use. They are becoming MUCH less toys, then tools to simply serve my needs.

You mentioned a cell phone, I picked up a prepaid cell, ONLY because of the lack of payphones. I went for six months before dropping my home line, spend quite a bit less ($100 a year), then I did for a very basic home line. I don't text, (why send messages instead of talk), or have a smart (why they call it like that, I don't know), phone. It and the computer are simply tools to help communicate, but there are too many people who think they need to use them, to tell you everything.

Use them when you need them, but go out and do things and spend time with ACTUAL physical people.

why send messages instead of talk),

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Randall, I'm not a big texter but it does have it's place. My daughter is often in meeting at work, and even after. I can text her to call when she can or just leave a short message. She gets the text at her convenience without disruption. You can send messages silently like in restaurants or other public places.
Technically, it has a place in certain emergency situations. A text can get out where there is little to no signal for talking.
Just don't get addicted to texting.