Hairstylist mom is still passionate about hair and makeup

Dear Live Grand:

My mom has always been a firecracker, but she’s become more subdued since she moved to assisted living. Even with their activities, we think she’s a little bored. She was a hairstylist for years, so she likes to get her hair done in the facility salon and enjoys “talking hair” with their stylist. In fact, those are the times we see a return of her innate passion. The facility offers bingo games that she enjoys but she prefers slots which they don’t have. As you can see, she’s not a typical “old person,” though I’ll add that like many, she hate’s what she calls “electronic gadgets.” Would a GrandPad help entertain her or is this one more device she’ll simply ignore? – SL

Dear SL:

From what we’ve noted, once a hairstylist, always a hairstylist! A GrandPad could support your mom’s interests in hair and makeup as well as allow her to play slots and other games.

We can assure you, too, that a GrandPad is one “electronic gadget” that she’ll be comfortable with. That’s because it’s uniquely designed to bring the advantages of technology to older adults while eliminating the confusing clutter. Physically, the tablet/phone is comfortable to hold, and the screen and apps are all sized for easy viewing. Navigation is simple and to charge it she’d just lay it on the included cradle.

Once she saw how easy it is to use the safe Internet app, your mom would love accessing YouTube to watch hairstyling and makeup videos. You could coach her in search terms so that she’d be able to find older hairstyles that she used to cut and set along with the newer techniques and fashions we see today.

Since she enjoys slots, she’d love the Games app, too. She could jump into slots, blackjack, FreeCell, or hearts. We think that she’d also like the game days and tournaments where she could be in the running for prizes that are given for most games played, most games won, and participation.

Like nearly every older adult, she’d love the Photos app where she’d be able to view images that the family admin has uploaded. That means not only sharing precious photos of the past but keeping her up to date with new pictures and videos. 

The Music app could be another favorite. Whether she enjoys country, Christian, classic rock, or a combination of them all, she’d be certain to find music that moves her. With just one click she could add the songs she likes to create her own Music Collection.

She could make and receive video/audio calls just by tapping a button. If your family enjoys Zoom gatherings, GrandPad’s streamlined Zoom app would make it easy for her to join.

We’re sure that your mom would quickly acclimate to her GrandPad and soon be expanding her interest beyond what the family thought possible. She might even be taking her tablet to hair appointments to show her stylists some YouTube videos demonstrating interesting new cuts!

 

Live Grand is a weekly column brought to you by GrandPad — the simplest, safest tablet-based solution that helps reconnect families.

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