Technology Tips for Boomers | Smartphone, Wi-Fi & Digital Assistants

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Boomers, Bucks, and Bling Podcast, where we turn retirement planning into a bit of a throw ride. I'm your host, Carl Spotter, and each week we'll dive into everything from reverse mortgages and staying put in style to Medicare, Social Security, and Home Safety. But wait, there's more. We're not just going to talk all about money and business. We're going to add some sparkle, some bling, as we chat with travel pros, party planners, and a lot of different topics that's going to help you make the most of your golden years. So grab a cup of tea or whatever it is you want to drink, get comfy, and let's make retirement planning an adventure of a lifetime. Welcome to this edition of Boomers Bucks and Bling. Today we're very privileged to have Abby Ritchie on with us. And she's going to talk about technology. Technology is something that, like it or not, we're dealing with it, right? So as we get older, it's sometimes it becomes a little more challenging. And Abby's going to kind of give us some helpful tips and suggestions and different things that might be able to help us in our everyday lives. So welcome to the show. And uh why don't you start off by just telling us a little bit about yourself and that kind of thing?

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Um I I love talking about this topic. I love helping older adults with their technology. And I am um happen to be a fourth-generation entrepreneur. And uh so everyone in my family starts companies, fits, finds an unmet need, and then works towards that. And I was um unemployed about eight years ago. Um my my previous company had um dissolved and I was looking for the next opportunity. And what I found in this situation, um, my in-laws at the time were downsizing and they needed help with their technology. And I've always been kind of techy. I'm more an educator than I am an IT person. I never call myself an IT person. I'm an educator, and they needed help setting up their Wi-Fi, they needed help with their phones and their cable, everything that we deal with every single day. And a lot of it is not unique to one person, it's really more of uh an a knowledge base that some people have and are able to teach through. So I started helping my in-laws with their technology. I found I really liked it. And then I started helping their neighbors and then their neighbors, and I found myself like in a span of about three or four months, spending a significant amount of time with older adults and just explaining like this is your Wi-Fi, this is how you get on your Wi-Fi, um, and talking about Bluetooth and talking about cell phone plans. And then I thought, you know what? I want to see if there's a larger need for this. I'm enjoying it. I can only do something I'm totally passionate about. And so um, I called some of the senior living communities in my area. I live in Scottsdale, Arizona. I never really thought much about the retirement communities here. I knew they were here, but it wasn't really a lot. That's right. I called five within a five-mile radius of where I lived, and I offered a free workshop on, and seriously, Carl, I made this up on the spot. Cell phone secrets for seniors. That was it. I was like, who who wouldn't want to know what the cell phone secrets are? So I offer a free workshop by the end of the week. I'm booked, and so I start going into these senior living communities, teaching these workshops, creating new workshops, and then I started getting private one-on-ones with the residents and just started to build out a business based on that. And there is a big unmet need because older adults are more traditional learners, and I found that uh the opportunities today, whether it's at the Apple store or it's YouTube, or it's even a grandchild, these opportunities are not exactly educationally catered to an older learner. They're just one.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

They're not, no.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

And um, and I started doing a lot of study on this older adult who is a traditional learner. They're someone who wants notes, they want a handout, they want repetition, they want to know from the very beginning the foundation of why we do this. They're engaged, they're curious. And I always consider them scholars. Yet there are a lot of people in the media would say, like, they're dinosaurs, but they're not. They need to be taught in a way that makes sense to them. And we're like, we're missing the boat here in so many ways. And it just became like this mission of mine to help an older adult feel empowered and confident to use their technology their way, not the way their son or their daughter is using it, obviously, not the way their grandchild is using it, but their way. It's truly to me, it's like it's a piece of dignity that is has been missing in this technology piece.

SPEAKER_00 5:16

Yeah. It's it's funny because we, you know, as our audience knows, I I specialize in reverse mortgages. I do quite a bit of that business. And and the you, you know, a mortgage is a mortgage, whether it's forward, reverse, sideways, it doesn't matter. It still requires a significant amount of paperwork. And the the biggest challenge in my industry is everything's everything's online, everything's emailed, uploaded. You know, my clients have a challenge with that. You know, I I can't tell you how many times I've driven to somebody's home to pick up their little folder, things I used to do in the 1990s, right? And come and make copies and get it back to them. But but but the technology as we take it for granted because we use it all the time. I'm a boom, I'm a boomer, but I think I understand technology a little bit better than maybe the average boomer, just because I I'm in that industry, I use it all the time. And so it it's it's really when I when I we just we discovered you and what you do and how you speak to people, it it was like I gotta have you on as a guest. You know, it was it was really exciting. I remember what the quick story when years ago I was driving my mom around to a doctor's appointments, whatever it was, and they had the radio on and we were just kind of listening to some music and and some commercial came on, and they were talking, it was when the internet just kind of was being discovered, and they talked about go to www.whatever. And she goes, What is www? Yeah, and I for the life of me, I I knew what it was, I but how do I explain it to where she could understand it? And it was this is something that you're doing, and I think it's wonderful. So thank you. I want to throw that in. Um, how do you teach? So you're a teacher at heart. Um, you you have free workshops in Arizona, but maybe not in San Diego or San Francisco or Nebraska.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

You know, it's funny that you say that because um up until 2020, I was teaching in-person locally, um, around around Phoenix. Okay. And um I started hiring other people to teach these workshops. And and then, as we all know, what happened, we lost all access, in-person access to teaching. And it was um an opportunity for me to figure out how else I can deliver this type of service. And so I started teaching online. And um it's funny because one community that we have here in Arizona, they are very tech forward and they have been taking and doing all of their community-wide meetings on Zoom for years and years and years, and they kept encouraging me, like, can you just teach this on Zoom? And I was like, Well, uh, Zoom is so complicated. And imagine trying to get to you know, 20, 30, uh, 80-year-olds on Zoom at one time to teach a class. And and a lot of it had to do with my own objections too. Like, I was like, no, I don't want to do no, like it's hard. I have to learn that seriously, a lot of it. But they kept asking me and finally I leaned into it. And so I started teaching workshops on Zoom. And what happened was because there was like such a demand for education and content and activities, we started offering these workshops nationwide, and they started getting picked up at other senior living communities. People are paying for them, it's a paid-for service now, and um and so we continue to provide these this type of opportunity. Like it was a huge silver lining. Some people want it in person, some of them want it on Zoom, but it is an option either way.

SPEAKER_00 9:01

Cool. So um give us a tip. How about uh cell phone? I mean, everybody I think has a cell phone at this point. Um, some useful, helpful hints on on using one of these stupid things that we all have, right? That used to be called telephones. Why they're called telephones, still I don't know, because we use them for everything but speaking, it seems like smartphone, that's what it is.

SPEAKER_01 9:22

And the reason it's called smart is because it has access to the internet. If it didn't have access to the internet, we'd call it a dumb phone. Yes. And actually, there's some people that really want dumb phones, they don't want all that access, and so there are options and all and alternatives for anyone. And so just because, say everyone is using, you know, a smartphone doesn't mean you need to have one. If you like your clamshell phone, and like seriously, some people do, they just like that flip, you know, the foot phone clamshell design and just tuck it in your pocket, none none of those bells and whistles. I say just go with it, right? Um, especially for an older adult, like go with what you know. So if you know how to use an Apple device, stick with Apple. Right now is not a time to learn a whole new operating system. And so you really want to go with what you know and sort of like get in the easiest way possible. After that, what I recommend doing is truly personalizing your device for your use. Now, our devices come pre-installed with like 50, 60 apps on them, right?

SPEAKER_00 10:34

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 10:35

An app is an abbreviation for application. So it's like a mobile application and it's made like more compact to go on your phone as opposed to on your computer. So our devices come pre-bundled with all of these applications. I'd say out of all of them, like you may just use about five, maybe 10 regularly. So, what I like to encourage people to do is like get them all off your home screen. Just put the ones you're using on your home screen. You can put the other ones on another page, no problem. But just the ones that you are actively using on a day-to-day basis need to be on your home screen.

SPEAKER_00 11:17

And the home screen is the page that when you turn your phone on or you hit your button, that's the first page that comes up. That's the home screen.

SPEAKER_01 11:24

That's it. Yep. And so, you know, make sure that your applications are easy to get to. I always like to get my camera up on the top line. This way, my brain knows my camera is up there, it's on the top, it's on the top row. I always like to put the ones that I use frequently down here in the dock. And this is totally personalized for you. Just because maybe it came with music down there doesn't mean you need to keep it there. You move music where you want it to be. For me, I want my phone, my messages, my calendar, and what else is there? Uh yeah, text messages. So that's what I keep down here. It's easy for me to remember it. And the other ones I'm not using so much, I'll put them on the second page or a third page. So really move it all around so it makes sense to your brain. What I would say you don't want to do is you don't want to hand your phone to your grandchild and let them move it around for you. It's really important for you to edit your home screen and know your camera's always top left, your web browser is always top right, for instance, your gym app is bottom bottom left, just so that you know where it is and you can access it easily.

SPEAKER_00 12:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 12:41

So to move an app around, to yeah, you know, um, you do what's called a long press, you hold your finger on it, and then they'll all start to do the hula and jiggle and whatnot. And so what you're gonna do is you're gonna look for it to say edit the home screen, and then you're going to just move it with your finger to where you want it to go.

unknown 13:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Simple enough.

SPEAKER_01 13:05

Simple enough. A couple of other things I always recommend. So if I'm working with you one-on-one, I'm gonna look at your phone and say, you know, let's let's change this just a little bit so it suits your purposes. One thing, really simple, is our wallpaper. Now I know um on mine, like I just like to have a basic color in the background. What I've noticed, some people have a whole family picture or maybe a landscape of a lake, and sometimes the picture will compete with the apps, with the app icons. And so just make it easy for you to see it. You can put a different picture on your lock screen. That's what happens when you just tap your phone and it turns on. You can put whatever you want there, but then on your home screen, like let's make it easy to see. Let's not have anything else that's competing with you locating those apps.

SPEAKER_00 14:01

It's not like if your grandkids' pictures aren't on that screen, you're gonna forget what they look like, right?

SPEAKER_01 14:06

That's right. That's right. Let's just make it super simple for you to locate that them. After that, I love going into the settings and making a couple small adjustments. And Apple's been awesome about this over the years. Um, they've made this a lot easier. If you go into your settings and then you go to display and brightness, there are many things in this area that you can do that are going to make a huge difference. One of them is to amp up your tech size. Now, I want you to be able to see what's on your phone without hunting for your glasses. Okay. And you can really create a real challenge. It really does.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

At least for me lately, it has become a real challenge.

SPEAKER_01 14:51

Yes. So you can adjust that. And if you need it to go even bigger, I can help you make it even bigger. This is in, and we do that in accessibility. So make sure it's it's at a size that's comfortable for you. This is your phone, okay. Backing up from there, there are some people and um that are going to Can you hold it a little higher? Yeah, we go. Yeah, sure thing. So that so also I want to point out there's a light mode and a dark mode. Now, a lot of times when we're using our phones, and the it usually comes in this light mode that uses up a lot of battery, by the way. So if you're struggling with your battery, this might be one way that you can gain a little bit of extra time back. Okay. Um, and if you want to go into the dark mode, this is actually easier on our eyes. So, over the course of one day, looking at your device in the light mode, it puts a lot of strain. And a lot of people have visual fatigue. And if that's something you're struggling with, let's get you into the dark mode so that you don't have that same level of visual fatigue at the end of the day. All right, simple switch, go back and forth.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

So visual visual fatigue. Describe that. What do you physically get tired, or is it just like your mind gets kind of tired?

SPEAKER_01 16:10

Yeah, you your eyes get tired. Okay. Because they're staring at a bright light throughout the entire day. Like you've got all of this light coming off of your device and it's straining your eyes, and it it wears on on you at the at the end of the day.

unknown 16:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 16:30

Okay. Moving right along, another thing I love to do is I like to turn on the bold. And now this is just such a simple thing, but it makes a big difference. So here is the way it comes. But if you turn on bold, all of the headers throughout easy to read. The entire device are just easier to read. That is correct.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

I could tell I could tell that just by what watching it on the screen.

SPEAKER_01 16:57

Yeah, right. Like they just get small and then they get bigger, they just get bolder. And then I want to show you one other thing. Um, a couple other things here. I've I have always heard this time and time again. Like, I'm looking at my phone and it just turns off. I don't know why, it just turns off. And this happens a lot, especially with an older adult who might still be processing what your next step is supposed to be. And what that means is that your auto lock might be set to something like 30 seconds, and then that's just gonna go black, go to sleep on you. So you want to make sure that your auto lock is at a space at a place that's comfortable for you. That might be five minutes, it might be never. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:44

So you know, there are these pre, there's some of them are pre-even though never is not a good security option. You know what? Um, it it really depends on who is using the phone, right? Okay. Really depends. One other thing that's way down here at the very bottom, and that is the display. Okay, the default display zoom. We've got um larger, and we have the default. So if you want everything to be supersized, just a let's get a little bit bigger, a little easier to see, you're gonna want to go to the larger text option there, and then you're gonna tap that, and everything like it it restarts real quickly and then it goes back on. Um is going to be just a little bit bigger. My my phone will go back on, and here we go. So I just want you to see like all the apps are a little bigger, they're a little more defined. I totally recommend that uh for an older adult.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

Or even somebody that's just a little bit far-sighted or becoming a little bit far-sighted, huh?

SPEAKER_01 18:50

Yes, yep. And then you get to there from where that is at the very bottom of display and brightness. It's all the way down to the bottom.

SPEAKER_00 19:02

No, no, as far as uh just getting into that whole section is is in uh yes.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

You go settings, uh-huh, and then it's just right here at display and brightness.

SPEAKER_00 19:15

Okay, perfect.

SPEAKER_01 19:16

Okay, okay. So that's my recommendation there. This is all just for the visual outlook. It's gotta fit you. You know, if you were gonna move into a new home, you would be rearranging the furniture so that it suited your needs. You wouldn't just, you know, keep it wherever it is. Like if you prefer your bed to be near the window, you're gonna move it there near the window, right? So customize your device so it suits your needs.

SPEAKER_00 19:46

Okay. Um, what about let's let's let's switch gears so we're not an Apple commercial here. Um let's let's talk about uh internet and Wi-Fi and and that kind of stuff, which seems to be uh a challenge, right? Uh, I mean, even with the with cable TV kind of going away and everything being streaming, Wi-Fi becomes even more and more important. Tell us a little bit about some some challenges there or some hints there.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

Yeah, you know, I like to I like to share Wi-Fi um in terms of it's it's one of these things you really need to know how to get yourself on and off the Wi-Fi because it's most often one of the easiest tech support tips right there. Well, did you turn the Wi-Fi off, right? And so um Wi-Fi is a wireless connection to the internet. So many of our devices are completely wireless these days. We'd like you to be able to know to know the Wi-Fi, to be able to turn it on and off if needed. And sometimes that just fixes the connection. So uh it's really important to know how to put yourself on and off the Wi-Fi. I can definitely show you how to do that sometime. Um, the other thing too is understanding Bluetooth. Bluetooth is also a wireless connection, but it's for a smaller device, less energy, close. It's close in um it to the device, but it's a smaller device. And a lot of times that helps with pairing of hearing aids and airpods, that kind of thing, and even our Alexa devices, all that, like, and our ring cameras, like they all get connected via Bluetooth.

SPEAKER_00 21:33

Okay. Um what else you got?

SPEAKER_01 21:38

Um Yeah, some other things I love to teach and and encourage people to do is to start using the digital assistant that comes with your device and your devices. So whether this is your remote control, which I absolutely love, having a microphone, being able to speak into your remote control, or whether you're using An an Alexa or you're using Siri in your phone. I really love to teach and encourage people to start using it today because it's something that's going to serve you in the years to come after your eyesight diminishes and you lose the dexterity in your in your hands, you still will be able to speak what you need help with.

SPEAKER_00 22:24

And so yeah, I know I was gonna say it's exactly what I tell people with reverse mortgages.

SPEAKER_01 22:31

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 22:31

Get one before you need it. Because once you need it, it becomes it. You're saying it's harder to learn, I'm saying it's harder to move, it's harder to fill out paperwork, it's harder to gather document, you know. But kind of part of I think getting older is preparing for getting older, and people don't really put much thought into it. So I didn't interrupt you, but I thought I that was a good yeah, that that is a really good point.

SPEAKER_01 22:54

So yes, start using it today. Um, I uh you know, funny thing was like when when Siri first came out, like I absolutely disliked it. And I think the reason being is because my kids were little and they love to speak into it and mess it up all the time. Like I would ask, and then they'd chime in, and then we wouldn't get anything accomplished, right? Um, so I actually turned it off for years and years, and then I turned it back on. And in the car I have right now, I have to use it in order to do anything. And so I've gotten really, really adept at using it for all sorts of commands, and I love it because it helps me to be hands-free and and to continue to use this skill of asking for things. So I really like to encourage people to do that. Start small, ask for basic things. What's the weather? What was the score last night? And sometimes you just have to kind of think how does this how does Siri or how does Alexa figure out what I'm looking for or what I need? And sometimes it's just a key word like, you know, navigate that automatically tells the digital assistant that you want to map and you want directions. Or you'll say something like, um, do a Google search and it automatically tells the digital assistant that you want a Google search started for you, or set a calendar and it's like boom. So when you get into the into the mindset of speaking about the app that you want to use, then that tells the digital assistant what it is you're looking for.

SPEAKER_00 24:35

I know it's always uh when you go to like the dentist or the doctor and they say, Do you want a little card for your next appointment? It's like, I'm not gonna know where this card is two months from now. But you just go Siri schedule an appointment the 22nd of August at two o'clock with the doctor, and it's done. At least, even if you don't remember saying it, it's gonna remind you the before the doctor's appointment. So it yeah, that's a real good tip, actually.

SPEAKER_01 25:00

Yeah, here's another one that a lot of people don't realize they have complete control over, and this is the notifications that pop up on your phone. People will often talk about them as pop-ups, these annoying pop-ups. Well, actually, you have complete control over that. And like we spoke about earlier, our devices probably come with 50-ish number of apps. All of these applications are designed to notify you of anything new that's happened in them. But you have the um, you have the opportunity to go into your notifications in your settings and toggle off receiving notifications for apps you really don't need to be notified by. Now, this is a personal thing. Like, I can't go through and decide for you. I'd have to ask you app by app, do you need to? But for the most part, there's probably only like maybe 10 out of all those 50 that you need to receive a pop-up, which is like a banner that comes across your phone for something. It could be Uber. You want to know if Uber is outside for sure. You want notifications for Uber, you want notifications for your bank. For if you got a phone call, missed a phone call, or you know, you have a voicemail. You want those, but there's so many that you absolutely do not need to have, including every single news story that's new. Yeah, it's so distracting.

SPEAKER_00 26:24

I always tell people turn off the news, just turn it off.

SPEAKER_01 26:26

This is so distracting, or maybe you know, you've got friends that are you're playing Scrabble with, and like you get that. And you know what it does? It takes a person from being in the moment and actually really just enjoying your life in the presence to getting distracted for these, you know, mindless things that take joy away from being present in life.

SPEAKER_00 26:49

Yeah, yeah. Well, I know we can keep you on on here for another hour and a half, but uh we we tried to limit these to about 20 minutes or so. Why don't you tell our audience how to get a hold of you? Sure. Be real specific as far as phone numbers, emails, uh, however that you want them to reach out to you, because I think I mean you could solve a lot of problems. I will be referring you to people uh as well. So go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 27:13

Thank you. Yes. So uh the company is called the Smarter Service. It's one word, thesmarterservice.com. And all of our information is there, how you can get help, who you can talk to. So I would just recommend you go to the Smarter Service on the internet and uh reach out to us that way. We are a nationwide company, we have tech concierge support in pretty much every state, and we also offer it virtually.

SPEAKER_00 27:44

Abby, thank you so much for your time today. We we truly appreciate it, and uh I just I can't thank you enough. Uh have a great day.

SPEAKER_01 27:51

Thank you.