Mom versus Technology

Mom was determined to learn how to use Quicken, e-mail, and a digital photo organizer, and she wanted me to teach her. I didn't understand at that time what was happening inside my mom's head, so I spent hours and hours and hours and hours trying to help her learn how to use these programs, after all, Mom was certainly an intelligent woman and none of these programs were really that complicated--especially basic e-mail. I would come home and look at my husband and be absolutely incredulous that she could not remember how to open an e-mail. We often chuckled at how many times I had helped her go through the different processes, but there were also times that I wanted to pull my hair out after spending hours balancing her check book using Quicken when I could have done it in 10 minutes. It was such a challenge not to offend by taking over and yet not spend endless hours accomplishing simple tasks.

In hind sight, the clues to her diminishing mental abilities are obvious; however, at the time, we just thought she had a strange inability to understand technology. I mean, she never had mastered the VCR or answering machine. This really wasn't that different--but it was.

She would call completely frustrated with the t.v. or satellite company because the channel wouldn't change, and I would talk her through the process over and over again. "Is your remote on 't.v.' or 'satellite'?"  "Is the channel on your t.v. on 3? No--the t.v. not the satellite." "OK, mom, push on. What is showing on your t.v.?" and finally, "Mom, I can be there in 30 minutes. I'll come check it." And after ten seconds, the t.v. was "fixed" and my mom was gushing about how "wonderful" I was.  (Repeat every couple of weeks.)