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  • How Technology Fails My Grand Nannie

    By Joshua Kim February 1, 2010 9:43 pm EST

    Grand Nannie is 92. She wants to be able to speak to her computer to have it do three things:

    1) Transfer her paper rolodex into the computer (by speaking) and then be able to retrieve the names (by voice) so she can dictate a letter.

    2) Dictate letters.

    3) Look at the news.

    Yes, I know that speech recognition programs like Dragon NaturallySpeaking can accomplish these tasks. But the problem is that even the best speech-to-text programs require an ability to navigate a computer operating system, open applications, and train the system.

    What Grand Nannie needs is a simple box with a screen that contains an OS totally devoted to working by simple voice-commands. This system would do far few operations, but would be able to complete these operations without any computer knowledge or the need to master any computer skills. The system would be able to record contact, transcribe letters, and navigate to a set number of Web sites.

    This week I'll have the depressing task of breaking the news to Grand Nannie that she can't do what she wants to do. I'll have to tell her that the technology does not yet exist to allow her to use a computer with her voice. And I feel terrible about this.

    What other people are we failing with our technology? I've got to believe that the Microsoft's and the Apple's and the IBM's of the world are missing a huge opportunity in not building devices to serve consumers like Grand Nannie. I think that the technology pieces should all be in place. We are talking about a simple device. What is lacking is an understanding of the needs people who are not young, agile and techno-savvy (although, of course many elderly are as techno-literate as many teenagers).

    The fact that Grand Nannie does not have a computer that can work for her also means that she is closed out of the expanding universe of materials for lifelong learners. You could imagine a computer that would allow her to say, "show me a lecture on particle physics" - and the computer would give her options to choose (by voice) across a range of colleges and professors.

    Does anyone know of a device of bundled hardware / software that would meet the requirements of my grandmother? How would you get close to this idea with the hardware and software available today? Why has this device not been manufactured? Are the barriers we are running up against technical or cultural?

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Comments on How Technology Fails My Grand Nannie

  • Agreed
  • Posted by Marianna on February 2, 2010 at 9:30am EST

  • I'm pretty sure the difference is cultural. I've seen computers made for kids, but not for older people. I guess it's assumed that there's no market.

    My grandma doesn't even use her home computer. She says it confuses her. I think the best thing a manufacturer could do for her is provide a computer that makes ALL OF THE TEXT REALLY LARGE.

  • New tricks and education?
  • Posted by Chemist , prof/chem at Hamline University on February 2, 2010 at 9:30am EST

  • Instead of making such a specific device why not get some training for her? I have in-laws in their mid 80s who both have learned how to use the computer. Perhaps you could spend some quality time with her and teach her the basics. A mouse and a keyboard are very effective input devices that she may find okay with training. You didn't mention any disability so I'm assuming this is a possibility. I've also seen some NSF sponsored research on a hand held mouse and keyboard device for people with hand problems - I think it is a commercial product as well. Knowledge is power! She may find many other things on the computer that she is interested in - like going with Facebook instead of letters to stay connected with friends and family. Good luck.

  • Grand Nannie
  • Posted by Andy on February 2, 2010 at 9:45am EST

  • I'm pretty sure that this technology does indeed exist. It is specialized though, so probably not something that you run across every day. Take for instance, para/quadriplegics and the blind, who use computers via voice comands. Some systems will take the voice commands and then read back the text to the user, for edit purposes.

    I don't know any product details, but knowing these two audiences exist might assist you in the hunt for the perfect product(s). You might also try talking with the folks at the Disabilities Office of your local large college. They may know about adaptive products, or have some names that you can check out. Also try a search for adaptive devices/software for the blind and physically disabled.

    My 89-year aunt uses email, Internet and a few other programs with some regularity. She also swears at her computer now and then, so I figure she is a power user, at least for what she needs!

  • Posted by Foo on February 2, 2010 at 11:30am EST

  • The stumbling block is that the system needs training? Geesh. Hire a college student to come spend an afternoon with your former nanny and run through Dragon's training. It's not the user who's being trained, it's the speech recognition module!

    Dragon has gotten so good that the training doesn't take long at all. Probably took longer to write this silly article than it would have taken to install the program and train it.

  • Posted by Janet , Director, Center Of Excellence for Allied Health on February 2, 2010 at 1:15pm EST

  • You'll want to check out this site -

    eldergadget.com

    and make sure to read http://www.eldergadget.com/community/intel-designs-electronic-“tablet”-to-help-seniors-social-network

    There is quite a bit of work being done on just the issue you've presented.

  • computers and the aged
  • Posted by Belinda , Professor at SIUE on February 2, 2010 at 2:15pm EST

  • My Mom is 80, easily confused and intimidated. Even if we write out step by step info about how to access her e-mail, something goes wrong. She is on her own, no family or friends, and once she clicks on the wrong button she is a goner until there is someone who comes by who can help. Sometimes, for over a week, she can't use her computer because of some very minor matter that others could take care of immediately. There has to be a simplified technology for older people like her. Perhaps similar to what is available for kids. I think there would be a big market for this.

  • I Think I May Know Of A Solution
  • Posted by Karen on February 4, 2010 at 10:15pm EST

  • There is a terrific piece of software available from a Toronto company called PointerWare (www.pointerware.com) that addresses pretty much all of the issues you mentioned. It was created by two young computer engineers who were having the same problem you're describing. One of them, Stephen Beath, had a 90 year-old grandmother in a retirement home and a family spread out all across Canada. Email seemed like the logical way to communicate with her but she had never used a computer before in her life and when Stephen did a search for senior friendly software, he came up empty. When he mentioned the problem to his fellow-grad student, Raul Rupsingh, he discovered that he wasn't alone - Raul had people in his family who were in the same boat. They got an idea to create their own software and researched user needs by volunteering in senior centers and enlisting a couple of grandmas (Stephen's grandma, Cora and a friend's grandmother, Hazel) to be beta testers.

    You can configure it so seniors don't even see the operating system. When they start their computer, just a few big buttons display - mail, photos, video phone (aka video conferencing via Skype), games and the Internet. The address book uses pictures as well as names of the people the user might want to correspond with. Outgoing email can be voice recorded (great for someone with arthritis who has trouble typing or just for people who never learned to type in the first place) or typed. Users have the option of having incoming email read to them. The software uses really large fonts and simple prompts and is just super easy.

    It's been on the market for a little over a year now and is doing quite well. People well into their 80s and even 90s are emailing their kids and grandkids and surfing the net with just a few minutes of training from a "supporter" - typically a family member who downloads and installs the software for them. Hope this helps you.

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