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The Garden

Dr. Peter Lichtenberg Reflects on Healing

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Widowed twice before age 55, Dr. Peter Lichtenberg reflects on healing from profound loss.

Voting and Absentee Ballots

The application, the ballot, the primary, the election

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The new normal - issues arising over absentee ballots, applications, and long lines at polling locations have become commonplace in 2020 - meddling with our inalienable right to vote.

genusConnect App

with Joe Gleason, CEO of Genus, Inc.

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Joe Gleason, creator of genusConnect, discusses this comprehensive healthcare app which provides an innovative way for families, patients, and caregivers to work together through hardship and...

Your Driving Skills

Tips and technology for the road

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When you’ve been driving for decades it’s easy to feel like you know it all. Yet for years, national surveys have shown that about one in five of us would flunk a written driver’s test. This...
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Coronavirus Resources

Smart Phones, Safety, and Seniors
Laurie Blume

Smart Phones, Safety, and Seniors

So Many Benefits

Your smart phone has the power to keep you connected and safe. Whether you use your phone for entertainment, socializing, brain-training, as a financial tool, or keeping your body healthy and active, customizing your phone to your lifestyle is at your fingertips.

An article in nextavenue.com, 7 Great Smartphone Fitness Apps for People 50+, Nancy Fitzgerald cites an AARP survey saying that 77% of participants aged 50+ reported that fitness apps were useful, and that 74% of people between 50-74 own a smartphone. Patient generated health data—info from your phone or wearable devices—can now be used to customize medical care.

Buying the right, simple-to-use phone and plan is important. AARP offers tips on how to save money on your cell phone by researching the market, buying the phone that fits within your budget, saying no to insurance, waiving activation fees, turning data off, and making overseas calls for free.  Additionally, a Consumer Affairs article by Tom Rains ‘Find the Best Cell Phones for Seniors’ suggests the following features are important - look for a clear, bright display, good speakers, a long battery life, an emergency help button, and a durable build when comparing phones.

Despite all of the great technology, there are negative repercussions of digital usage, and just plain dangerous habits. A study at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, found that older drivers are much worse than younger drivers when texting while driving. During a test, almost 40 percent of those 25 to 34 wandered out of their lanes while texting. Among those 45 to 59, the incidence was 100 percent. Randall Commissaris, PhD, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Wayne State says that “It is possible that older drivers do not differ from younger drivers with respect to the time spent looking at their phones, but they are more distracted by texting while driving because they are less able to manage the cognitive demands of multitasking.”

We want to know what phones, apps, and technology you are using.  Please share your experiences with our community by becoming a GG Contributing Member.

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