00:01 Man: Call in and ask your questions.
00:01 John: Hey, everybody.
About to go live.
00:10 Lisa: Well, all right, everyone.
Welcome to "Aging Insight."
After this particular episode, this is going live right after our Thanksgiving break or
holiday.
00:20 John: Yeah, we got all of our Thanksgiving and decided that, you know what?
We can still show up, and we can do "Aging Insight" live for everybody while they're
taking a break from their weekend shopping madness.
00:32 Lisa: Well, they're taking a break or maybe they're stuck in traffic or in a parking
lot somewhere listening to the show.
00:38 John: That's probably more likely, certainly.
00:41 Lisa: Anyway, John, I guess last week you were here all solo, weren't you?
00:46 John: Yeah, I was here all by myself last week.
Somebody was off just watching football games.
00:51 Lisa: Yes.
I was out last week at the Dallas Cowboy practice facility there in Frisco watching the Texas
High Tigers lose a very close game to last year's state champs, Highland Park High School.
So, you know, John and I, we're keeping all up with the high school athletics around here.
01:16 John: Oh, yeah.
Well, that's what you got to do.
And Lisa did note that we're simultaneously broadcasting this both on the air live and
as well as on Facebook Live.
If you haven't already, get on to Facebook, check out the "Ross & Shoalmire" Facebook
page.
You can find us there and you can see what it looks like behind the scenes, and at least
for today's episode, you're definitely going to want to be there either checking it out
live or, of course, this will be recorded on Facebook Live and you'll want to be able
to go back because we're gonna leave some actual information on that Facebook Live post
for you to check out.
So don't miss out.
02:02 Lisa: It's been a little while since we've done some Facebook Live, but…
02:05 John: And we're playing with…you know, just as we get to where we learn how to use
the board…
02:10 Lisa: The studio.
02:11 John: The studio, we're gonna add a whole 'nother level of complexity to it with
the Facebook Live.
So, yeah, just bear with us as usual.
02:20 Lisa: Well, you know, sometimes, John, we talk about stories or we talk about…new
stories, or new laws, or things like that, and our goal is, hopefully, with all this
technology, with Facebook Live, we will be able to share the links to where you can go
read those stories, or read those cases for yourself.
02:41 John: Right, or even maybe put up pictures, if we're, like…if we're telling a story
about a real person or something like that, we'll be able to…they're much more interactive.
02:49 Lisa: Yeah.
So we're gonna try it.
02:50 John: And, of course, the reason we can do all of this and have so much fun trying
out new things on all of you very-patient listeners out there is because of our sponsors,
the folks over at Edgewood Manor, Dierksen Memorial Hospice, Cowhorn Creek Estates, Christus
St. Michael Health System, Texarkana Funeral Home, Red River Federal Credit Union, Heritage
Plaza Nursing Center, and Reunion Plaza.
03:17 Lisa: Yeah, we appreciate those sponsors because, you know, while it is free to listen,
it is not free to produce or get out over the airwaves, so those sponsors are really
important to us.
And as a matter of fact, John, we've got a couple of spots open for some sponsors.
03:33 John: We do.
You know, starting for the new year, we're probably gonna have some new spots open, some
new things going on, so you're definitely gonna…if you're interested in sponsoring
the "Aging Insight" program, you're gonna wanna get in touch with as soon as you can.
03:50 Lisa: Well, and, John, you know, usually we kind of recap our week and talk about where
we were out speaking and gallivanting across the community, but, you know, it was a short
work week last week with the Thanksgiving holiday.
And as we kind of cruise into the…you know, that holiday time between Thanksgiving and
Christmas, we're gonna be enjoying our families, and maybe not quite out so much during these
next three or four weeks, but we will certainly be back at it come January.
04:24 John: Yeah, absolutely.
We don't do a lot of outdoors, you know, the big speaking engagements thing.
People are busy.
04:31 Lisa: Yeah, they've got other things to do besides come and listen to us run our
mouth.
04:35 John: Yeah.
No, absolutely.
They don't want to see us just…they want to go out there and find the "GI Joe" that
their grandchild who's just dying for.
I saw a video this morning, and they were showing the 1983 scenes from the stores as
everybody fought over the "Cabbage Patch" dolls.
04:57 Lisa: Yeah.
Well, see that's the thing, John.
You know, you mentioned the "GI Joe," the "Cabbage Patch."
If you knew what the hot toy was this year…you really don't know.
05:06 John: I have no idea what…
05:06 Lisa: Because you're out of it.
05:08 John: I have no idea what the hot toy is.
That is certainly true.
05:12 Lisa: But I bet there's some grandparents out there and some parents listening that
probably do know.
I'm glad we don't need to know these things anymore.
05:21 John: That's right, absolutely.
05:24 Lisa: But that kind of just brings us to…you know, it's one thing, it's pretty
easy buying a Christmas gift for small children.
Usually they're pretty easy to please.
05:34 John: Well, and, I mean, yeah, especially anybody under there bought a teenager…once
they hit teenagers, just give them money.
05:42 Lisa: Yeah, just give them money and expensive stuff.
05:44 John: Right, absolutely.
05:45 Lisa: That's what they want.
But, you know, what's always kind of difficult, as I got older and, you know, became more
of a giver instead of the recipient…you know, I speak a little older…
06:00 Lisa: Technical difficulty.
06:00 John: Technical difficulty, yes.
06:02 Lisa: It was always difficult, I think, buying for the most senior members of my family.
And, you know, those senior members, a lot of times they've got everything they use,
and possibly me.
06:18 John: Yeah, and if they don't have it, they'll buy it for themselves so often.
06:21 Lisa: Yeah, or they'll buy it for themselves, or just do without, or they won't even tell
you that there is something that has caught their eye or that they're interested in.
So buying gifts for senior members of a family can sometimes be a little challenging.
You know, my two-year-old niece, I got that.
It's dolls or whatever, but my 82-year-old grandmother is a little more challenging.
06:50 John: Yeah, that can be somewhat difficult.
06:52 Lisa: So I thought today, since everybody's kinda…everybody has been inundated with
the ideas of Black Friday, and shopping, and the Christmas coming up.
07:02 John: And Small Business Saturday.
07:03 Lisa: Small Business Saturday today.
That's right, and then Cyber Monday on Monday.
07:06 John: Cyber Monday, absolutely.
07:08 Lisa: I think there's a conspiracy to make us all just shop and spend our money.
07:12 John: Well, I don't know that it's quite a conspiracy.
07:15 Lisa: Well, okay, cool.
07:16 John: But it's certainly…you know, they do watch, but, you know, people are generous,
they want to do some buying, they want to find something that people both want, need,
you know, something that fills all of those voids.
07:31 Lisa: So I thought today maybe we'll keep a little light and we'll talk about some
things that you can purchase for senior members in your family, that we actually kinda figure…they're
actually useful.
I mean…
07:46 John: Yeah, absolutely.
07:47 Lisa: …not just a waste of money, not just something to wrap up and say you've
got something for, you know, dad, or grandma.
07:56 John: Right, yeah.
You know, and, like I said, there's lots of different parts to all of this and, you know,
there's the little gifts, the little stocking stuffers, there's the big things, and we just
wanted to throw out some of the stuff primarily there.
You know, we just think we'd kind of impact a broad range of folks.
08:15 Lisa: So impact a broad range of gifts, a broad range of price points, just something
for everybody, right?
08:22 John: Absolutely.
08:23 Lisa: So why don't you kick it off, John?
08:24 John: Well, you know, I think we'll start at kind of the bottom end, you know,
kind of the cheap little things, the little stocking stuffers.
You know, for the longest time as a child, I thought that Santa Claus only brought fruit
in the stocking.
08:42 Lisa: So you had some old-fashioned stockings…
08:44 John: Fruit and some socks, fruit and socks.
That's what went into a stocking.
It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized that those were supposed to be toys and things.
08:54 Lisa: Well, no, I just think you…it sounds like your parents came from the old
school where you got an orange, a peppermint stick, and some socks in your stocking.
09:03 John: Well, you know…and I think that's right.
So, you know, we talk about, like, some little stocking stuff.
There's just some little useful items, things like that, and one of them…you know, particularly
if you're talking about filling the stocking for that senior, one of the things that becomes
more and more difficult is just use of the hand.
09:26 Lisa: Yeah.
You know, you get up in the morning and some…I know some of…heck, I even have this, some
mornings, as the weather changes, it gets colder, you know, your fingers and your hands
just don't…they're just not ready to start the day yet.
09:41 John: Yeah, no, that's exactly right.
09:43 Lisa: And so, you know…and I've certainly talked to a lot of people, if they get older,
it seems to take longer and longer, and those fingers are a bit stiff, and, you know, maybe
you have a little arthritis in there, and so sometimes some of the simplest things like
just holding a pin can be a bit of a challenge, and it's just…I don't know, it can be difficult.
10:06 John: Yeah.
So, you know, actually we kind of looked around, and sure enough, there is a large-grip pen
out there that is actually recommended by the…
10:18 Lisa: Arthritis…
10:19 John: Arthritis…
10:20 Lisa: Foundation.
10:20 John: Foundation, or Research Center, or something, and it's the single number-one
most-popular pen, big gel grip on it.
10:30 Lisa: Some of those kinda smushy gel grips you can get your hand around?
10:32 John: Yeah, those smushy gel grips on there.
So you've got that sort of thing and it's supposed to be a great pen, cheap, you know,
couple of bucks, you get a couple of them, throw 'em in the stocking.
10:44 Lisa: Yeah.
Well, you know, I mean, I know when you get a good pen, you like to keep up with it.
10:50 John: Absolutely.
10:50 Lisa: I mean, I've certainly had…you know, we use a particular kind of gel pen
at our office, and I've had seniors ask many, many times if they can take it with them.
Yes, so a big-grip pen that is a little easier on the hands is a great stocking stuffer.
And, like you said, a couple of bucks a pop, boy, you can just get a whole truckload of
those.
That way, you, your senior gift recipient always has a pen around.
11:24 John: That's right.
And so, you know, for those of you who are following along on Facebook Live out there,
you can go over to our Facebook page, "Ross & Shoalmire," take a look at the video there,
and in the comments section, we're gonna have links to all of these.
And so…and I'm not sure if these links are actually gonna work.
11:42 Lisa: Again, we're experimenting.
11:43 John: Yes, technology being what it is, but we're gonna play with it, so you should
be able to go into the comments and click on the links, not sure if that's gonna work
just yet, but we're trying.
11:53 Lisa: We're gonna try it.
11:54 John: Yeah, we're gonna keep going with it.
So I think what we're gonna do is we're gonna take a quick break, and then when we come
back, we're gonna talk about some others.
And, you know, it's just gonna get more interesting and more expensive.
12:07 Lisa: Right.
So it's like a Neiman Marcus catalog.
You gotta stick around for the big-ticket item.
12:13 John: That's right, on the back end.
All right, so stick around, we will be right back.
12:26 John: That's for them.
We're still, of course, live for y'all, and while we're doing that, I'm going to see…because
it doesn't appear that that link is clickable.
Don't know here, so we're gonna play around with it and see what I can come up with.
Let's see.
12:48 Lisa: Yeah, it's just one of those things, trying to make all that work.
12:53 John: No, no.
13:01 John: Did manage to go over and check out my friends over at Berridge Bikes and
Boards.
Again, you know that Small Business Saturday stuff?
Sounded like they had a great Black Frida.
13:16 Lisa: Oh, good.
13:17 John: Yeah.
13:17 Lisa: Well, you know, always like supporting local businesses, and especially if they're
kind of a specialty business that…like Berridge, they're kind of the only local bike shop.
So, you know, you can buy a bike at one of the big box stores, and they can put it together,
and sometimes they do a good job and sometimes they don't, but there's no service really
after the sale if you're buying it from, you know, Walmart or something.
So I do like that Berridge is right here in town, and, boy, they're gonna make you happy.
13:50 John: Absolutely.
13:52 Lisa: I will say that they're…you know, you might pay a little more than you
would at Walmart, or Target, or Academy, but it's so worth it with the support you get.
14:04 John: No question about it.
Like I said, we're trying to make this somewhat easier with the comments, just not sure that
that's gonna work, but I'm playing with it now.
We're gonna see if we can make this happen.
I gotta re-find the pen.
14:24 Lisa: Yes.
Yeah, we're buying for senior members of the family, it's just…because last thing you
want to do is just get 'em another piece of junk that they don't need, they don't have
any place in their house to put it.
Here's the code.
Can you just copy the HTML?
15:00 John: I don't think I can copy the HTML.
Oh, we're gonna be back here in just a second.
15:21 Lisa: Yeah.
It's about that time.
15:37 Lisa: Welcome back, everyone, to "Aging Insight."
This is Lisa Shoalmire here live in the studio with John Ross, and you can see us live if
you have a Facebook account and you go to Ross and Shoalmire's Facebook page, and you
can…we should be up there.
There we are.
15:55 John: Yes, there we are.
We are.
15:58 Lisa: Okay.
Well, today we're kind of…we're in the spirit.
We're in the gift-buying spirit, so we thought about some things that particularly older
members of our family can actually use.
And, of course, some of these gifts, John, aren't just for older members, but, yeah,
you can see where they're super useful for older members.
So we talked about a stocking stuffer, the big-grip gel pen that makes a wonderful stocking
stuffer, but, John, you know, one thing that a lot of my clients tell me about…and again,
I'm starting to experience some of those things, is, you know, a lot of times, John, I just
can hardly sleep through the night without having to get up and make my way to the restroom
in the middle of the night, and…
16:45 John: You know, it seems like that happens more and more often these days.
16:50 Lisa: Yes.
So, you know, a lot of times…I mean, I know where the restroom is, and all that, but,
you know, I just find my way in the dark, but…
16:59 John: Well, and you do have somebody else in the house that maybe you don't want
to bother.
You don't want to flip on every light in the house.
17:07 Lisa: Right.
And, of course, the other problem is I could have left a bunch of junk in the floor the
way between the bedside and the bathroom, so I can be surprised by that junk in the
middle of the night, in the dark.
So one of the other gifts that…you know, modern technology is pretty wonderful.
We've definitely come a long way, and there is a set of motion-activated lights.
They're very reasonable, and essentially what you do is you just plug them in to the outlet.
17:45 John: Yeah, or in other cases, you can just throw a couple of batteries in there
and stick 'em against a wall or a door frame, or whatever it is that you want to create
some light when somebody walks past it.
18:00 Lisa: And so those motion-activated lights…it kind of reminds me of, if you've
ever been on a plane and they talk about the case of an emergency landing, that the lights
on the floor will guide you to the nearest emergency exit, well, same concept here with
these motion-activated lights, that as they detect some motion in the room, even in the
dark, they will turn on and then they'll automatically turn themselves back off, but can light your
way right to the restroom or the kitchen, or whatever it is you are making your way,
and then you can get back in bed and you don't have to worry about turning those lights off.
18:41 John: That's exactly right.
And, you know, I mean, to me this is also a big safety issue.
In fact, a couple other things that we're gonna be talking about today, in large part,
it's one of the things where, you know, people want to be able to stay independent.
18:55 Lisa: Yeah, we talk about that all the time on "Aging Insight," you know, age and
play, stay in your home, and sometimes you just got to make some concessions to some
safety things, and one of those things could be some lights to make sure you don't fall,
because, John, falls are the number-one reason that people end up having to leave their home,
because a fall causes some…I don't know, sort of a snowball or a cascade of health
issues as you recover from that fall, and sometimes you can't really stay in your home
after that.
19:28 John: Well, I mean, we often talk about how essentially, you know, what we see with
our crisis planning is people that have had a health crisis that becomes a housing crisis
because they can't figure out where they're gonna live, which ultimately then ends in
a financial crisis as they realize that the cost of having somebody to care for them in
the home can be extreme that the cost of assisted living and nursing home care can also be extreme.
19:54 Lisa: So what you're saying is if a $20 set of motion-activated lights…that's
a small …
20:02 John: It's a small price to pay, and, of course, while you're at it, if you're taking
the time to kind of go ahead and do some of these sort of things, you know, you're thinking,
"Well, you know what?
I'm gonna get these for Mom, or I wanna get these for Dad, and she can open 'em up for
Christmas," and then after that, while you're there visiting, you're gonna help install
some of these things, while you're at it, you may check out a few other things like,
for example, getting rid of the rugs.
20:31 Lisa: Yes, the rugs have been a tripping hazard, as are frankly the dachshund dogs.
20:37 John: Yes.
20:37 Lisa: But I don't know that mom will let you get rid of the dachshund.
20:40 John: No, probably not.
20:40 Lisa: The wiener dog stay.
20:42 John: Oh, yeah, the wiener dog stays, despite what a tripping hazard the wiener
dog is.
And bigger dogs don't make that a better problem.
20:50 Lisa: Yeah, no.
In fact, I had a client just the other day.
That's exactly what happened.
She tripped over a big dog, but, whatever…but, yes, while you're installing and helping mom
or dad put in some of these things like these motion-activated lights, good time to be able
to gently have some discussions about safety issues.
21:11 John: Right.
And, you know, actually in our first "Aging Insight" magazine, we had a whole article
in there.
I believe you wrote that.
21:21 Lisa: Yes, I did.
21:23 John: And, of course…
21:23 Lisa: And republished it a couple of times.
21:25 John: Yes.
And all of our back issues of the "Aging Insight" magazine are available on the Aging Insight
website.
21:32 Lisa: For free.
21:32 John: For free, absolutely.
Go to www.aginginsight.com, and you can go on there, and down at the bottom of the page
you'll see links to all of the prior magazines out there, and you can check those out and,
you know, get information on things like that.
That housing article is a good one.
21:53 Lisa: Yeah.
So, John, I like the deal with these lights.
You know, you may find that you may have other gifting opportunities after you visit with
mom, dad about getting these lights installed, and just kind of sticking 'em, putting them
up.
Next thing you know there's some grab bars to go in the bathroom, and …
22:12 John: Oh, yeah, lots of good stuff.
Well, and we've got a whole list of different items out there that we want to show you about
or tell you about, and give you some links to if you're out there shopping or if you're
gonna do some cyber shopping.
These are all things that you can get online by…
22:30 Lisa: Delivered to your door.
22:31 John: That's right.
So if you haven't already, get on Facebook, check that out, and that way you can see those
links on there.
In the meantime, we got to take a news break at the bottom of the hour, and…
22:44 Lisa: Yeah, but we'll be back because we've got lots of great stuff to cover on
our list.
22:48 John: That's right.
So stick around, we'll be right back.
All right, and so we are back there.
What I can't tell is whether or not our little…I don't think the links are actually active
links, but I can't really tell either.
23:14 Lisa: Let me see if they can come up here.
23:18 John: But that's all right.
One way or the other, you ought to at least be able to…
23:27 Lisa: Yeah, you'll get the idea.
23:28 John: You'll at least be able to maybe cut and paste those, even if they're not working
directly.
And, of course, if you're out there and you're watching, and you've got any questions, feel
free to give us a shout or something, and, you know, if you're watching and you like
the show, give us a like, share it with your friends.
It looks like we've had several people who have shared the video or liked the video,
so all good stuff.
We appreciate everybody who's watching out there or checks us out.
So it's always good to know that folks are interested in the information.
24:09 Lisa: Yeah.
No, I can't get that link to work, but we'll get that figured out.
24:13 John: One of these days.
You know, unfortunately when you're doing things that are live…
24:21 Lisa: And new.
24:21 John: …and new, you can't really test out live without it being live.
That's kinda how live works.
But that's all right.
We pulled up our list of stuff here.
Of course, we have lots and lots of stuff that we could have talked about, but these
were just the ones that really kind of struck Lisa and I as being particularly important.
We were trying to get the little small link instead of a big link.
25:02 Lisa: Now I love the fact, too, that all these can be mail-ordered, you know, because
I've just got to where, you know, getting out and about with the people in the parking
lots and, you know, a lot of times you've gotta park way out, or even all the handicapped
spots are taken, if you have handicap tags.
So it can be challenging to get out there and get shopping.
So mail order and online shopping, the best thing ever.
25:31 John: That's right.
That's good stuff.
Let me see.
And we're back in about 10 seconds.
25:41 Lisa: … going, yeah.
25:25 John: I feel like I've been looking at this computer screen the whole time.
All right, here we go.
26:00 John: Welcome back to "Aging Insight," everybody.
This is your host, John Ross, here live in the studio with Lisa Shoalmire, and, you know,
we're in the Christmas spirit, although we didn't…you and I did not necessarily participate
in Black Friday.
26:15 Lisa: No.
26:15 John: We participated in Green…
26:17 Lisa: Yeah, it's called…
26:18 John: …Friday.
26:19 Lisa: …Go Green Friday.
26:20 John: And basically what this is is….in fact, this was a big thing that was pushed
by the Arkansas Parks Association.
26:27 Lisa: Yeah.
Arkansas State Parks said, "Hey, you know, instead of going shopping, why don't you get
out in one of the state parks?"
And we took 'em up on that.
26:34 John: That's right.
Also, you know, we went out and enjoyed the outdoor wildlife instead of the wildlife that
permeates the shopping centers during this season.
26:50 Lisa: Yes.
We saw lots of deer, and even a snake friend on our little trek through Petit Jean State
Park in Arkansas, beautiful place, and weather was perfect, so couldn't ask for better.
27:03 John: But, you know, we're still gonna end up having some shopping to do out there.
27:08 Lisa: Yeah.
So we're kind of talking about some of the gifts that maybe older members of the family
could actually use, and would actually appreciate instead of just giving 'em, you know, a cookie
jar or something to sit on the counter.
27:21 John: That's right.
27:22 Lisa: So, you know, we talked about a special thick-grip gel pen, we've also talked
about some motion-detected little light-up lights that you can light your path when you
get up during the night.
A third item that I really like John, it's an extra-large digital clock with battery
backup.
And, you know, this isn't just a typical digital clock, it comes in a frame, and the frame
can come in all sorts of different colors: white, black, wood, tone, you know, whatever,
but this clock displays, in very large letters, the day of the week, the actual time of the
day, but then it also tells you if that time of day is morning, or afternoon, or evening,
or nighttime, and it also displays the month, and date, and year, so all of this in a nice
little picture frame.
And, John, I really like this because, for a lot of our older folks, you know, if they
do live in assisted-living or in a skilled-nursing facility, you know, the days can kind of run
together.
28:37 John: Sure.
28:38 Lisa: So having a reminder of what day it is, and all that is good.
Also, John, even for folks that are at home, this gift is really nice.
If you have a senior family member that you suspect may be having just…they're just
a little…maybe a little bit of memory loss, I mean, they're fine to be at home, they don't
need any, you know, special care really, but sometimes they get a little confused or, for
instance, they lay down for an afternoon nap, and when they wake up they're just a little
disoriented, you know, don't know if they've slept through the night or…
29:15 John: No, that's right.
29:17 Lisa: So this clock can help them kinda keep all that straight, and the reviews of
this clock have been fantastic, and a lot of family members have given it to seniors
and have just…you know, the seniors have just…you know, just some piece of information
that they have, that they can just feel confident about.
29:38 John: Well, and this is in a very large format.
You know, sight being what it is, I know so often when we're maybe executing a will or
a trust, or something in the office and, you know, the clients have a hard time seeing
the small-type prints, particularly some of the older clients.
You know, it's one of those things where the eyesight just…it does go bad.
30:04 Lisa: Yeah, it does.
30:05 John: Over time, you know.
I mean, that's not something that's particular to you, it's just particular to everybody.
Every time I go to the eye doctor, Dr. Allen over there, he says, "Well, your eyesight
is perfect right now."
30:21 Lisa: Right now, but he knows that it's not gonna stay that way, or our bodies just
don't stay perfect our whole lives.
And we have some challenges, and our eyesight's part of that, but this extra-large display
clock can kind of help us navigate that a little bit, and runs about 50 bucks.
30:37 John: Yep, absolutely.
30:39 Lisa: So far, John, we kind of started with two-dollar kind of stocking stuffer,
and those motion lights run around 20 bucks, so our extra-large display clock with…by
the way, has battery backup, so if the lights go out the clock is still there…runs about
50 bucks.
John, I wanna jump into a couple of products that are kind of related, and this has got
to be some of my favorite technology stuff ever.
So a lot of seniors, it's just amazing, they're amazed by the technology we have these days,
and one of my favorite companies, Amazon, they have created a piece of technology that
really has given so much freedom to seniors or those who have some kind of physical impairments,
and the technology I'm speaking of, John, is the Amazon Echo.
31:41 John: Yep.
31:41 Lisa: And the Amazon Echo is just…it's a black cylinder, or I guess now they have
different colors.
It comes in white, and silver, and…
31:50 John: I didn't even know you can get 'em in all kinds.
31:52 Lisa: But it's just a little cylinder-shaped, maybe…what?
About 12 inches tall, and it can sit on your countertop, and, in fact, I can talk about
this because I have one.
32:05 John: Right, yeah.
I think they were just talking about it on the "Kim Commando Show…"
32:09 Lisa: Really?
32:10 John: …right before you showed up.
32:12 Lisa: She must have stolen our playlist, or something, for today.
32:13 John: Clearly.
32:15 Lisa: But the Amazon Echo is this little cylinder tube, and you connect it to the Wi-Fi
or the internet at the house.
So, yeah, this is one of those things that if your senior parent doesn't have internet,
well, then, you need to get them.
32:30 John: That's right.
32:31 Lisa: But essentially this thing, you can ask it what the temperature is outside
and it will talk to you, and it will tell you.
And you can ask it to set a timer, or to play music.
You can even tell it what kind of music to play.
If you want to listen to Elvis Presley gospel, you can ask the Echo just with your voice.
You don't have to get on a keyboard, you don't have to get on an iPad.
32:57 John: But you know that particular one based on personal experience?
33:00 Lisa: Yes.
Hey, you know, Elvis can…he can call down the gospel.
But, you know, you just say…you call the name of the thing…I think it's called an
Alexa, and you say, "Alexa, play Elvis Presley gospel music," and the thing starts playing
Elvis Presley gospel music.
And so, you know, it's a nice companion.
It can read books.
So if you have a senior who has been a reader, but maybe their eyesight has gotten really
too difficult to read, the Echo will read audiobooks, too.
33:36 John: Yep, it will.
33:37 Lisa: So it's just a great little handy product.
You know, if you're cooking and you can't remember, well, what temperature does chicken
have to be at before it's done?
You can just ask it, and it will tell you.
If you want to know the score of the Dallas Cowboy game, you can ask it and it will tell
you.
So I really like this Amazon Echo.
I know there are some folks, John, who don't like the idea that you have something in your
house that could listen to you.
34:06 John: Well, that was actually what they were talking about on the "Kim Commando Show."
34:09 Lisa: See, I missed it, but I guess I just listen to boring…like, I'm not really
too worried about what my Amazon Echo might listen to.
34:17 John: No nefarious plots going on in the house.
34:21 Lisa: Yeah.
34:22 John: Well, you know, now I will say, a lot of folks, particularly as they age,
become more and more intimidated by the technology out there.
I visited with a lady, which is probably just a month or two ago, in fact, lives over there
right next to our office, pretty close, and very nice, lives in town, in large part because
her daughter and son-in-law live here in town and they kind of help her up, and last year,
son-in-law said, "You need an Amazon Echo."
Said, "This is great."
It's still sitting in the box in her house…
34:56 Lisa: Oh, my goodness!
34:57 John: …a year later.
34:57 Lisa: She doesn't know what she's missing.
34:59 John: She doesn't, but you know what?
She doesn't know how to hook it up.
35:02 Lisa: Well, see, that was where her son-in-law messed up.
He should have ….
35:05 John: Exactly right.
Yeah, he should have been on top of that.
So, you know, again, don't feel like you…most of these things are, once created, once established,
once set up, the actual operation of them is very, very user-friendly.
35:22 Lisa: And I just want to jump in real quick before we go to our break, on this Amazon
Echo, they have created all sorts of partner products that go with this Amazon Echo.
For instance, there are thermostats that you can put on your home air-conditioning heating
system, that connect to the Echo.
So, for instance, if you have a little trouble transferring and getting up and down, instead
of getting up to turn the heat up, you can just say, "Amazon Echo, you know, turn the
heat up to 72," and it will do it.
Or, you know, you can tell it to turn the light on in the room that is connected, that
has a particular kind of light bulb that matches with the Amazon Echo.
And there's just more and more products coming out like that.
So frankly, you know, it's just a fantastic product to help us with accessibility issues.
36:22 John: Again, people will say…they'll say, "John, you know, the most important thing
to me is that I'd be able to age in my own home.
I wanna stay there as long as I can."
Well, okay, that's fine.
What are you doing to make that happen?
36:37 Lisa: Right.
You know, have you remodeled the bathroom to make sure it's a little bigger?
36:41 John: When it's difficult to get up and down, then every time you do that, you're
creating a strain on yourself and on your body, and you're creating a potential hazard
that could jeopardize your ability to stay there in your home.
So as mobility becomes a problem, you can do things like use Amazon Echo to connect
to your thermostat, to your lighting systems.
In fact, I think you can even go all the way through into your appliances and other things,
but again, if you can at least control some of the basic functions like light switches…
37:29 Lisa: With your voice.
37:29 John: …with your voice, then, you know, now if it's difficult for that person
to get out of bed and back into bed safely, and all they've got to do now is just say,
you know, "Amazon Echo, turn on the lights…"
37:47 Lisa: It's a lot better.
37:49 John: Now that person is staying at home longer.
37:52 Lisa: I understand, John…I haven't used this feature yet, but I understand you
can now even use the Amazon Echo to make calls.
We talk about those commercials that are, you know, "I'm fallen, I can't get up," or,
you know, the…but if you can speak out to the Amazon Echo, you know, "Amazon Echo, call
Jennifer," who is your daughter, because you have fallen, well, then, how fantastic is
that?
So the Amazon Echo itself runs a hundred bucks or less.
They're always running specials.
I think right now an Amazon Echo cost about $80, and, you know, you just order from Amazon,
and you get it set up.
Now, the thermostats, and the lights, and the different things, yeah, they're sold separately.
I feel like a commercial.
But…
38:38 John: But I bet there are people out there that would be happy to also come and
set these sort of things up for you.
38:43 Lisa: Yeah, you know.
38:45 John: So anyway, check some of that stuff out.
We've got a couple more we want to talk about, but we got to take a break.
So for those of y'all listening over-the-air, you gotta stick around 'till after these commercials.
If you're on Facebook Live, well, then…
38:57 Lisa: You're stuck with us.
38:58 John: You're stuck with us.
The show keeps on going.
Stick around, we'll be right back.
39:06 Yeah, there was actually a couple of others I was gonna try to throw on there,
if I can.
I was gonna throw on some links to the light bulbs.
39:18 Lisa: Yeah, I'm perfectly happy with the Amazon Echo.
There's just nothing that goes on in my house, that if it listened, frankly it would…my
Amazon Echo, if it were listening all the time, would just be bored, but…
39:40 John: Yeah, that "Kim Commando," it said that she's taking hers out of her kitchen.
What's she doing?
What's she plotting in there?
39:49 Lisa: Well, my favorite play spot's in the kitchen, because when I'm cooking I
like to listen to music, which it will play, which I don't have to…you know, if my hands
are dirty from cooking or chopping onions, I don't have to touch the radio or anything,
I can just tell it, or if I need…how many tablespoons are in a cup?
I can just ask the Echo and it can tell me.
So, I mean, the kitchen is the perfect place for it myself, but I certainly can see folks
having that concern.
And then there's the whole Internet of Things, you know, with your thermostat, and all connected,
and some people are…but again, I'm just not too worried about it.
40:30 John: Yeah, no, I'm just not too worried about it.
Yeah, I just don't think it's that big a deal, but it is a big deal for us to get back on
the radio.
So here we go.
40:54 Lisa: Welcome back, everyone, to our final segment on today's gift guide…
"Aging Insight Gift Guide."
I'm Lisa Shoalmire.
I'm here live in the studio with John Ross today, and we're just kind of going through
a little list of gifts that we think seniors would really appreciate.
We talked about some pens, and some lights, and, you know, some clock…we talked about
a big clock, and then we talked about the Amazon Echo, one of my favorites.
Also, John, there is…you know, few years ago they came out with those electronic picture
frames?
Because really what I learned that older family members really liked are pictures of all the
grandkids, and great-grandkids, and all that stuff, but frankly, the old-style picture
where you print them out and hung them on the wall…
41:46 John: Are just about gone these days.
41:47 Lisa: Yeah, and ... stay updated.
41:48 John: In fact, with those Millennials, I mean, they're saying that this will be the
most photographed generation of people of all time that there will be no record of.
41:59 Lisa: Right, because they won't print out any pictures.
But, John, you came across a photo frame that, instead of pre-loading photos, electronic
copies of photos, that would display like a slideshow.
You found a photo frame that you could update from afar.
42:21 John: Right.
I think this one was kind of cool, because the deal you run into…and you and I have
bought the digital photo frames in the past, and, you know, usually you have to sit there
and you plug it into your computer, and…
42:35 Lisa: You download the pictures.
42:36 John: …you pick a couple of pictures, and, of course, it's got its own memory and
so you're limited into how many pictures you can upload into it.
Of course, memory is a lot cheaper now, but ultimately you're then stagnant, and if you
want to change those photos, you got to go through this whole process again.
And anyway, this one that I saw…and again, there's a link to it on the Facebook Live
video, this one is actually app-based, so you're able to…you know, if I were to give
my parents this frame, and then they can hang it in their house, or set it on a cabinet,
or whatever, then I can go into the app on my phone, anywhere I am…
43:20 Lisa: Anywhere who you are.
43:21 John: …and I can change the pictures on there, and I can upload new pictures and
all kinds of stuff.
And so, you know, you're constantly being able to refresh it, and being able to change
it and set it up, really pretty neat.
43:35 Lisa: Yeah, no, I like that idea because, you know, a lot of times…you know, a lot
of seniors…the families live in different places now and, you know, they're just not
right down the street like they used to be, so getting, you know, little grandchild's
tee-ball picture from the tee-ball game that day.
I mean, that would be super-cool.
43:55 John: Yeah, that's pretty awesome.
43:56 Lisa: Yeah.
So, all right…
43:58 John: I think that one's pretty neat.
43:59 Lisa: But how much is that photo frame …?
44:01 John: They're a little pricey.
They're a little pricey.
Let's see.
I think…let me see if I can look what that thing is.
44:10 Lisa: Let me see.
Oh, yeah, just found it.
It's 169 bucks.
44:14 John: Yeah, about 160 bucks, $169.
44:16 Lisa: So that is more of a…it is a pricier item, but, you know, that's just cool.
44:24 John: Yes, it is kind of cool.
Now, that being said, you would have to be careful what photos you're putting on that
thing.
44:35 Lisa: Sure.
44:36 John: I mean, if you're clearly a politician these days…
44:40 Lisa: If you're a congressman who is sharing inappropriate…
44:41 John: Congressman, celebrity, or…you might not want to just automatically sync
it with your phone, or anything like that.
44:51 Lisa: Things to think about.
44:52 John: Things to think about.
On that note…
44:57 Lisa: On that note, …
44:58 John: Oh, no, no.
Moving on, here's one that I think is kind of a neat deal.
Everybody likes a blanket.
45:10 Lisa: Yeah.
You know, and so a lot of times…
45:12 John: In fact, we got blankets as gifts in our office.
45:15 Lisa: We did.
We had a precious, wonderful dear client, who stopped by the office before Thanksgiving
and brought us all big, warm, fuzzy blankets to have on the couch while you're watching
football or movies, and very generous special shout-out and appreciation to our little client.
45:36 John: Yes, that's awesome.
But, you know, everybody likes a blanket, and, of course, you know, you get cozy, you
fall asleep, get a good night's rest, but, you know, rest cannot come easy for some folks.
And I think this is a problem, particularly as you get older and you have, whether it's
just some old age issues, or whether it's some things like dementia and Alzheimer's,
sleep can become a problem.
46:07 Lisa: Yeah, and they've actually done some study.
So we put on our gift list, a particular type of blanket that is supposed to help with these
things, and it is a weighted blanket, John.
And so, you know, it's almost kind of like the same philosophy as swaddling a baby, but
here it's for an adult.
It's a weighted blanket that…and they've done studies about weighted blankets, and
they seem to decrease the agitation level of folks who have some dementia issues, cognitive
issues.
They just seem to bring a sense of calm to the adult who is lying there beneath that
weighted blanket, and, you know, it's just a little extra weight, John.
It's not like it's a led piece of advice.
47:01 John: Right.
Has to hold you down.
It's something…and I think you know, you'll see little memes and stuff about this on the
internet, people that…you know, like a big pile of blankets on top of them, and I think
that's because we do get some very base…
47:22 Lisa: Evolutionary-type security from…
47:24 John: Exactly.
47:27 Lisa: So this is a weighted blanket, and I know that the Alzheimer's Association,
the big national group, and a lot of…like I said, there's a lot of studies about using
weighted blankets.
They do use weighted blankets in some facilities, memory care facilities and all, and so if
you have a loved one who, you know, is always agitated, can't seem to get settled and get
to sleep, maybe a weighted blanket is a gift.
It is a little pricey, runs about 160 bucks.
47:57 John: Yep.
And it depends on the size there.
You can find them a little cheaper for maybe like a twin size or something like that, all
the way up to your big king size that can go all the way up into the $200s and stuff.
So they're a little different depending on the size and everything that you're looking
for.
48:13 Lisa: So a weighted blanket, that's a potential gift out there.
And now, John, I guess we kind of saved our big-ticket item…
48:20 John: That's right.
48:21 Lisa: …for last.
And, you know, one thing that I have noticed, we try to be very thoughtful in our office
as far as if we have people coming into our office, who maybe are on walkers, are on wheelchairs,
or using some sort of assistance to get around.
And so, you know…
48:42 John: In fact, when we bought our office, that was a big part of it, was making sure
we had accessible entrances, and all of that sort of stuff.
48:51 Lisa: All right.
And so we've got, you know, zero entrance where you can just come right in the door
without having to go up any stairs, and we have a flat surface, non-carpeted floor so
you can kind of get…you know, you can roll your apparatus around without being stuck
in the carpet or a rug, or something.
But, you know, a lot of times, when people face mobility issues, as far as walking and
getting from place to place, boy, that just really limits their world and their experiences,
and what they're enjoying in life.
And so this last gift, John, it is a wheelchair, but it's a pretty fancy little wheelchair.
It's called an EZ Lite wheelchair, or EZ Lite Cruiser.
I like that.
49:46 John: So this is actually a folding, electric wheelchair.
So, I mean, think of a wheelchair that you could just, like, push a button and it folds
up small enough to be able to fit into a trunk or even a backseat of a car.
50:02 Lisa: Yeah, you don't have to have a special bracket or anything on the car to
hold it.
50:05 John: No, it's heavy at 50 pounds, but I don't know how much heavier that is than
just a regular wheelchair, especially some of the older ones that are, you know, big-steel
tubing, and things.
But it's completely electric, so once you get that thing out, you got several miles
of charge.
50:25 Lisa: Yap, and you can run about 10 miles on a charge.
So, you know, especially when I've seen couples where one of them has some challenges with
mobility, and the other one is, you know, older themselves, just getting the wheelchair
out and then pushing your loved one.
It can be pretty exhausting.
Here this little…this little EZ Lite Cruiser wheelchair with the electric, you know, once
you get where you're going, you just pop in there, and then the person who's got trouble
walking can just zoom right around, do their shopping, and then, you know, whoever's with
them doesn't have the strenuous task of…
51:05 John: You know, pushing a wheelchair is not easy.
51:07 Lisa: Yeah.
So anyway, this item is, of course, a little pricey because, you know, a compact fold-up
electric wheelchair…but even so, I think it runs, what?
A couple thousand dollars.
So I think's the…
51:22 John: Yeah, no, that's gonna be about…I mean, that's about a $2200 deal, and unfortunately,
this is not something that's typically going to be covered by Medicare.
51:31 Lisa: This is what they call a personal mobility device.
This is not one of those old scooters, but…
51:37 John: But there are…you know, you might double-check with any other private
insurance that you have, because it might actually be covered by some other insurances
out there.
So once again, I want to say thanks to Edgewood Manor, Dierksen Memorial Hospice, Cowhorn
Estates, Christus St. Michael Health System, Texarkana Funeral Home, Red River Federal
Credit Union, Heritage Plaza, and Reunion Plaza.
Thanks to all of them, thanks to all of y'all watching, thanks to everybody that checked
us out on Facebook.
52:05 Lisa: And you can check out the links to the different gift ideas on the Facebook
Live comments section.
It will remain after today's show.
52:13 John: That's right.
It'll be there, so…otherwise, we'll see you next weekend.
Bye-bye.
52:18 Lisa: Bye-bye.
52:24 John: All right, and thanks to all of y'all.
We'll see you later.
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