General topics.

I think it’s nice, too. If I had worked there, I think I can swing a $15 budget for a present. I bought dad a nice cheap throw blanket for $6.99. It’s only 60”x50”. He used to like just covering his waist down to his ankles. Feet sticking out of the blanket. I bought him several designs. His favorite, which he commented all the time that it was pretty - was the one that was light beige background with old fashion designs of a simple country scene. I’ve seen thick inexpensive socks at Ross, too.

Cwillie, my favorites that the govt caregivers gifted to my mom was a mini manual grinder. Another xmas, they gifted her a mini (under 6 inches) but Very Good Quality (emits powerful light) battery powered lantern. (I still have it & in excellent condition 10 years later!) And the other xmas, both parents got a very strong grocery bag made of strong cloth. It’s not like those recyclable bags with cheap material. I’m still using those bags with the govt caregivers logo on it.

When I read your comment about the facility gifting their clients, it brought back fond memories of mom and dad’s govt caregivers, too. Yearly, I usually donate to them under dad’s name when they’re doing fundraising for their organization. I usually gave about $50. I think I will continue to do this yearly. Too bad as my parents were long time clients (over 20 yrs), no one from this organization came to their funeral. Unless they came and didn’t sign in the book.

Also, you can always drop by with goodies for the staff. I think they will appreciate that, too.  Edible goodies.

@bookluvr - did you get your iPad reset? Got your PM but I don't know how to reply to PMs here. Maybe you can't.

Dori, how to reply to PMs...

Click on the avatar/name of the person you want to PM, that takes you to their wall page where Hugs are posted. Depending on the user's settings, the Personal Message check box at the top right of the Hug text box will already be checked, or you can check that box and the message/Hug will post as a Private Message. 

Oh gosh, thanks Ali! :-)

Dorianne, I'm not going to resent the iPad. I don't know how to re-do all that stuff again. Fave niece was the techy of the family. She's now living in the Mainland. I'm really very inept when it comes to electronic devices. So, far now, I'm going to order a new charger for the iPad. If that doesn't help, then I will buy a new tablet.

With regards to the mobile industry. I read an article on how these companies would keep updating their versions until the mobile no longer is compatible to the new updates. The company is completely aware that this forces their customers to buy the newer phones. Or did I hear this on the Kim Commando radio show? Or was it another talk show radio?

Oh my gosh! My oldest sis just screamed loudly in her bedroom. Then she started giggling... Uhm... she's getting worse mentally? I Will Not Be Her Caregiver!!!! It's just Not Fair!!!! I need to live My Own Life for Once! I've been caregiving since I was in my mid-20's. I'm over 50. I refuse to do any more "Obligation" family duties.

Hey Book, haven’t been reading this thread but noticed your iPad woes.

I got an iPad mini as a retirement gift about 4 years ago. We’re older digital idiots around here but I was able to get the thing set up and used the hell out of it for about 3 years.

Then it started getting stupid on me. Took forever to load a site and so on. Tried the latest upgrades etc. finally gave up, went to staples and bought a basic full size iPad for $300.

Friends who are more digital savvy than me tell me the things just wear out, won’t accept the new upgrades and not worth the money and hassles of trying to get them fixed. Planned obsolescence at its finest I spose.

The new one is great. My wife just bought a new laptop using windows and it’s been a total pita. I can find a site, read for 15 minutes while she is still cussing and stomping around with her $800 laptop.

I much prefer the touch screen Mac/Apple stuff but they bug the crap outta ya with trying to sell apps and features I don’t want.

My new $600 laptop (from last year) cannot handle multiple windows opened and being used. The same with my work desktop. Uhm... several IT from work told me that I'm not suppose to use multiple windows. I said that the program allows us a max of 9 windows/tab. Why should I be limited with only 1 or 2 windows? The system cannot handle it. ....So, Customer 1 calls me, I get their rsvn info. Hang up and I'm doing the final touches... Phone rings, I answer, open a new window and do that rsvn. Hang up, assign seats, etc... Phone rings, I open the 3rd window, book their rsvn...etc... So IT says that I shouldn't keep opening these windows. Our rsvn sales agent's eyes widened when she saw me using several windows. She told me that's why my system keeps freezing.... Here at home, my new laptop is like work. It tends to freeze and then the whole browser crashes. I have several websites opened and multi-task between my email, Agingcare, Amazon (wishlist checking), and usually an online comic.

As for the iPad, I guess you're right. My iPad is actually the original iPad Air. It's several years old. Time to retire. I guess I should buy a new tablet. I haven't bought the charger yet because deep down, I knew that wasn't really the problem. Thanks.

So....BFF's hubby is a former tech guy, now an electrician (there's more money in it!), and the only actual person I know with a genius level IQ. Most of what I know, I've learned from him. He hasn't steered me wrong yet.

The problem with Windows is they load it with so much bloatware (junk, third party software they get paid to include) that it does make your PC freeze or crash. The trick is to get rid of it right away, but it's even better to get a tech person to install a clean version of Windows operating system. I have 2 laptops - 1 with Windows 8.1, 1 with Windows 10. I killed the hard drive on the Win 10, so when I took it to be replaced, the tech guys installed a BEAUTIFUL clean version of Windows with no bloatware, no junk, no extra anything. I don't even have to have a passworded sign in screen. I never have one single problem with it - it runs like a dream. My Windows 8.1 laptop has been a PITA for sure - for one thing, they tried to make it look like Android (smart phones) and it's just DUMB.  And despite getting rid of a lot of the bloatware and doing 2 factory resets, I've also had to do lots of little fixes to it. I'm about to send it for a new hard drive "just because" and get a clean version of Windows with it, as well. Worth it.

Tech people recommend doing a factory reset every six months to a year on Windows.  This isn't hard to do yourself (it's just reinstalling Windows), but it does mean backing up all your files and then later reinstalling all the software you added beyond Windows. 

My brother sent me his old Samsung 5 smart phone, which he reset and cleaned up, and it is like a brand new phone. So it's not necessarily that old tech is the problem, it's that it does need to be completely reset from time to time. This is thanks to malware, trojans, and other bad guys that usually slip in through advertising.

For updates: they normally don't make NEW updates once they've decided a product's time is up, but it is possible to get the existing updates online after a factory reset. Usually from other sources like geek websites.

Also I don't agree with people who say you can't have multiple windows open. This is what Windows was MADE for! It's why it's called Windows. Maybe it's different on Apple tech - I admit to knowing nothing about Apple products. (I had an iPod once, which I killed with boob sweat from shoving it in my bra while I was working! And that's the extent of my experience.) Anyway....I run some games that use a LOT of system resources, along with my web browser and some other applications running at the same time. Sometimes I run a resource heavy game and a movie at the same time! It DID freeze a lot when I did this on my Windows 8.1 system. It doesn't freeze, ever, on my clean Windows 10 machine. I have to make myself remember to give it a reboot every once in awhile, because it runs so well.

You also have to watch for sneaky third party add-ons when you are installing new software. It's easy to breeze through those "next" boxes and not pay attention, but that's how they sneak extra junkware in. You have to uncheck the boxes on every screen. These third party add-ons also eat up your system resources and sometimes carry malware.

I do strongly recommend Firefox browser for having multiple tabs open. There are a few websites that are just problematic, and will crash any browser anyway, but for the most part, Firefox is a simple browser, without a lot of extras, that runs steady.

Some browser crashing problems - a lot actually - are caused by ads. I recommend uBlock Origin, which is a free ad-blocker you can find online. Some sites detect you're using it and make you disable it (which is easy to do), but otherwise, it blocks the ads off pages you are viewing. You can get uBlock Origin for your Apple and Android browsers as well as the Windows ones like Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer.

One more thing - Norton and McAfee are notoriously problematic programs, if anyone is using them for security. Even tech folks recommend staying away from them. I use Avast, which has a free version (they will try to upsell their paid version, but you don't need it.) AVG is also good. (Ditto with the upselling though.)

This has been your Daily Tech Moment with Dorianne. Lol!

Hate buying new clothes. Hate it with a passion. Since ending my caregiving once my parents had passed, I am dealing with 30 extra pounds. Now I need to empty my closet and start over.

Standard sizing is no where to be found. A "large" made by one manufacturer is a "small" with another manufacturer. It's a guessing game when buying on-line and even at the store :P

Now I am trying to find knee socks that I can actually get more than half way up my leg. I even ordered "wide calf" knee socks and they weren't all that roomy. Do companies think everyone's legs are the size of Twiggy???

And my new slacks look like clown pants.... perfect fit at the waist, but so baggy elsewhere. Wish I could wear pajamas to work !! Those do fit nicely.

I will need to drag myself to the store to buy a new winter coat. I can get my old ones on but I can't zip it up because I have gain too much weight around the waist. Maybe I could be like a teenager who refuses to button up their jackets :)

Er FF have you thought of shedding the extra pounds?

I only weigh 108 lbs but my stomach is big. I look pregnant. Several people I know who were 'big' have lost so much weight. 2 of them lost weight by cutting back their food. Instead of 2 scoops of rice for lunch, then dinner, they only eat 1 scoop. Rice is our staple food. Both have also cut their meal portions. One of them goes walking with his wife after dinner for the past 6 months. That's it! No Drastic Diets! No awful Gym Exercises. And they've lost weight!

So, I'm trying to cut down on rice, which I'm struggling. And I'm trying to walk on my glider after dinner... I'm not being consistent....

Dorianne, I'm desperate. Someone else also told me that I need to do factory reset. No, I should not do icloud to save my info. Best to hook up the iPad to my laptop and save it there but I must have iTunes. Well, I don't have iTunes on this new laptop. I tried downloading the app. 32gb or 64gb? I don't know. I hit 32gb..... After a while, it says I need to download the 64gb.. grrrr. Accomplished. I will save data later. It's 2pm and behind with laundry and haven't cooked RICE nor had lunch yet. ....

Be nice dear Veronica; there are too many of us that have tried everything, and in our mid sixties, are still gaining weight. Doctors say they don't know why; I think it's that we've eaten meat with steroids in it all these years, and if you read the labels of almost EVERYTHING, it all has some form of sugar in it, disguised by fancy names. Some of you have read my posts and know I'm not sedentary (I'm the one feeding horses 2X a day in below zero weather; up the hill, thru the forest, straight into the wind, upside down and backward (remember going to school?), and still can't lose - Aaaargh!

Dorianne, I'm going to be posting on your wall. I googled 'How to do factory reset on iPad Air" Why couldn't it be so simple?! I found a YouTube video. Guess what... my iPad Air doesn't have an i-Cloud in the Setting! ... Do you think maybe this is why niece & I had a difficult time from the beginning with me signing up to i-Cloud?.... {grumbling ... devices and I don't get along... IT always ends up taking over to troubleshoot my computer...} .. If you don't mind, I'm going to be sending you Help! messages in your Wall. {eyes rolling} Otherwise, I will beg bro from the states to go to Best Buy and just buy me a tablet and mail it over. Hopefully they will have a New Year's sale.

bookluvr - I think you mean 32 bit versus 64 bit? Which basically refers to the register in your processor memory (versus your storage memory). If your laptop is newer than Windows 7, it's probably 64 bit. I gather your system has already told you what you need! But here is a link that tells you how to find your system info in different versions of Windows:

howtogeek.com/howto/21726/how-do-i-know-if-im-running-32-bit-or-64-bit-windows-answers/

I have no idea how to do this in Apple products.

If you were using a tablet, I would probably just say hook your tablet up to your laptop with your USB cable. Then on your laptop, search for and go into File Explorer. Scroll down the menu on the left until you see "This PC" and click on that. There, on the right, you'll see all your devices, including your laptop drive (usually your C drive), your DVD/CD drive, and your device (tablet) drive, plus any other drives you may have. You could then go into your tablet drive, find the files you want to save, and copy them to your laptop.

To do this, you'd create a file folder on your laptop desktop. Then in your tablet drive, highlight and copy (CTRL + C on your keyboard) the items you want to save. Then go to the file you just created, and paste (CTRL + V) them into the file. You can highlight a number of items all at once and copy + paste them, or you can just copy an entire file - say, if your photos are all stored in one file folder, just click on the folder and copy that.

But I don't know if that will work with an iPad???

I do often just save my files somewhere else when I need to (like a flash drive), rather than doing a full system back up, as it's less time-consuming. But if you have a LARGE number of files you want to save, or if you're not sure you can find them all on your own, then do a system back up. It depends how much you do with your iPad. When it comes to my tablet, personally, there are hardly any files on there I need to save, besides some photos and videos.

Oh, cross-posted with you, bookluvr!!

Fireworks have been bursting for about 7 minutes now. People yelling. Cars are honking their horns. Alas I can't see the fireworks... That one person who's yelling sounds funny. Going on 9 minutes fireworks. It's a new year, everyone! I sooo hope this year is good to you and your family.

HNY, Book!! I hope the year brings all you want and so deserve.

Happy New Year bookluvr!

Thanks, Glad. I want to have courage and determination to help me do what I want in life and not feel obligated to do this or that.

I have stopped praying to God when caregiving for mom was too much for me.  That was over 20 years ago.  Since it's a new year, I'm going to start praying to God or even my ancestor to give me the strength to resist the upcoming pressures. At the moment, I'm not going to be picky. I usually avoid embracing my heritage. These past 26 years I was a good Christian who avoided my heathen heritage. I have always been torn between the Christian religion and my native upbringing. One condemns the other - no ifs or buts, no compromises. I was never willing to root out my heritage...because that is what I am, who I am. Perhaps if I grew up in the Mainland, I would have been able do it.

Edit:  Thanks Dorianne!

bookluvr, yes same problem here with that gosh darn big stomach. I also look pregnant. For decades I use to be a gym rat before I started taking care of my parents, and all that time and energy went to waist [lol, pun intended]. Now at 70, going to the gym isn't on my top to do list :( I get winded just carrying up the laundry basket from the basement.

Mally, I agree with you about added steroids and hormones placed in meat and poultry, thus the farmers can sell their livestock quicker. I know for myself when it comes to food, I can forget it is time to eat lunch. And a bag of chips can sit in the cupboard for months. I do know my downfall is chocolate.

Ah yes, I use to walk to school in the snow going uphill both ways :)

FreqFlyer my downfall is the midnight snacking. Cravings is sweets. Doc asked me what I snack on - though I thought I was eating healthy - all had in common is sugar. He said that I would get a sugar crash after a few hours of eating. Hence the intense hunger a few hours later. I need to replace the sweets with Protein snack.

Happy New Year!

While recovering the iPad, it asked me about the Find My iPhone. I didn't know what that was. All I know is that all my kindles have the Locations off. So, I typed no. Got an email from Apple that anyone using my iPad can do anything without my Apple ID and password. Boy, that sounds awfully ominous.

Anyway, I can't believe it. Before the factory reset, my iPad storage was 11.3 gb of 16gb used. Guess what it is now! 7.1 gb used!! I was going crazy deleting my photos and it just kept inching towards the 16gb.... It's my email that is linked to the iPad. It was about 950MB and climbing. It's now only 13.MB. I didn't know how to lower the email storage without permanently deleting my files in it.... And my Kindle App had the most storage in GB. Now it's down to only 117MB... Would it be bad if I do this factory reset maybe once a year on the iPad?

Ohhh. I haven't tried it yet on the charger. I don't feel like seeing bad news if the iPad continues to view the charger as incompatible. And I don't feel like pulling and inserting the charger into the wall socket repeatedly until the iPad accepts it... Plus, I just did my budget. Yikes! Someone had fun ordering online - without limits... =(

It seems like credit card is also my downfall...

bookluvr - techs often recommend doing a factory reset on Windows once every 6 months to a year. I don't think it would be all that different for an iPad. Glad you are happy about getting some memory space back!

This just occurred to me, but I assume you used a cable with a USB end if you hooked your iPad up to your PC?  When you hooked it up, did it appear to be taking a charge that way? (Can you charge an iPad off a PC?  I don't know.  I can charge my Android tablet and phone that way.)  If so, and you still have problems when you plug it in to the wall, it's probably the charger (or the adapter end of your charger, if your working USB cable is also part of your charger). 

When I connected the cable between the iPad and laptop, the window on the iPad popped up that it was not compatible. I ignored it since I was determined to do the back-up. Anyway, when I was recovering the iPad, I couldn't find a simple instructions in Google on how to recover the info using the cable/iTunes. So, I just followed the YouTube on using the iCloud... I already forgot how I did it. I think I need to replace the charger. You just reminded me that I need to buy one. I'm a bit tired to try to order it now. 

This isn't really a whine, and it doesn't warrant a new thread - thank goodness for the catchall of General Topics.

Mom isn't doing so well, nothing you can really put your finger on, but she is just... frailer, sleepier, less... I don't know, just less. I got a call from the NH (1/2 hour after I left, why they didn't talk to me when I was there...) saying that mom was having constant diarrhea and she's getting sore, so they are starting her on acidophilus. So how is this possible in a woman who has needed laxatives for 50 years, and whose chronic constipation drove me to scream on this forum many times? I can think of 3 possibilities: virus, partial impaction, cancer. The doc comes in at lunch time and basically just writes scripts, I doubt he has ever examined her. The RN's never seem to step far from the nurses station, I doubt they've examined her either. The RPN's (LPN's) are busy handing out meds. The report of diarrhea comes from the ones changing her diaper, the women on the front lines who are powerless. Do I want to push this? At this point does it even matter? I've decided to just wait and see (sigh)

And then there's this...
People keep dying there. I understand that is what happens in nursing homes, but sometimes it's people you never expected. It's shocking, it's depressing as hell, and I find myself wanting to pull back from interacting with anyone who lives there. I could never work there because I just couldn't stand it.

Cwillie
I'm sorry mom is not well and diarrhea is not fun especially for the bedridden
I hope the aides are doing a good job keeping her clean and comfortable

Are you inclined to ask for a stool sample to be taken if it doesn't resolve shortly ?

So many have passed at hoca the past two years that I've begun to forget their names

It still bothers me to see the decline in some especially the younger ones in their 70s

I had nightmares last night - nothing in particular but I sense dread of things to come

I do need a hot cocoa

I don't know MsMadge, mom has been palliative for so long I just don't trust my instincts anymore.