Every once in a while, grandparents complain about new gadgets and appliances that their families bring into their homes. These stories often come up spontaneously during grocery trips, while waiting for transportation or during short talks at night.
Grandmas and Grandpas describe how something that’s supposed to be easy becomes a mystery. As I was listening to these laments over the years, I started to see how so many modern conveniences stress out the grandparents more than make their lives easier.
App-based door locks
Lots and lots of modern apartments have door locks that require an app or a code on a keypad. After trying a couple of times to get the right code many grandparents get frustrated with the buttons and blinking lights on the small device, and rapidly changing screen.
One grandmother living next door told me that she had to stand at her own front door for ten minutes. The keypad would blink, but she could not figure out if it was ready for her code or if she should start over.
Online patient portals
Hospitals would love it if everyone used their online portals for checking reports or booking appointments, but it tires most grandparents. Passwords, codes and all those long medical words make them feel so lost.
One senior grandpa in my building downloaded the same test report five times, the page kept freezing and he didn’t know if it went through. Clinics all run on these systems now, so older adults use them and end up frustrated.
Voice-controlled remotes
Current TV remotes have voice buttons that are sensitive even when people don’t want them to be. Grandparents tell me that their remotes will open a random app or fast-forward through a program because they accidentally spoke a single wrong word.
One senior gentleman I met at church claimed his television switched the audio track to a different language because he coughed near the microphone.
Ride-hailing apps
My granny confessed to me that one night when she was traveling from her home to ours, she saw the car icon spin all over the map and panicked, as she thought the driver was lost and going in circles. It was just an animation. She also accidentally ordered an XL and paid twice the price.
Ride-hailing services are heavily advertised in urban centers, so grandparents may feel pushed into using them even though ride-hailing apps can cause them stress.
Grocery store self-checkout machines
Self-checkout lanes look fast but they frazzle the nerves of many seniors the second the screen lights up with too many choices. Barcodes slide past the scanner or won’t scan and the machine begins yelling about an “unexpected item” which only adds to their panic.
I’ve watched grandparents walk away in silence from the register because the people behind them looked irritated.
Smart fridges
Many people have fridges with screens, notifications and little reminders flashing all day long. Grandparents get frustrated with the incessant blinking and beeping.
A grandma told me her smart fridge kept messaging her that the door was open when she had actually closed it right. The alarm even went off in the middle of the night. These futuristic models appear in many contemporary kitchens, so the misunderstandings become part of their normal routine.
Robot vacuum cleaners
Robot vacuums seem convenient, but the abrupt angles, buzzing sound, and remote app unnerve many older adults. My friend told me how his grandfather would lift his feet every time the bot rolled toward him because he feared it might hit him. What should have been an easy clean became a fraught ritual for the elderly gentleman.
QR-code menus
Every time I go out to eat with my grandparents, the same thing happens. Restaurants provide QR codes instead of paper menus, and my grandparents jab at their small phone screens as they wait for the menu to open.
Once, over lunch, my grandparents scanned the same code over and over until I figured out they were stuck. Their faces reddened from embarrassment, and I helped. The sigh of relief they both let out was palpable.
Bluetooth bathroom scales
Many families gift their elders “smart” bathroom scales that read weight and send data to an app. But to the elderly, the flashing lights and “sync” indicators can be baffling.
One elderly gentleman mentioned he stood on the scale, a loud beep sounded, and he had no idea where the number went. The “smart” scale market is pushed heavily in fitness ads, so many elders have them whether they want one or not.
Touchscreen microwaves
Older microwaves used knobs or large buttons, but modern ones use touchscreens with a sea of small icons and buttons. My granny complains to me all the time that her microwave screen either responds too quickly or doesn’t respond at all, and she has no idea how to adjust.
She told me she accidentally entered the wrong timer once and panicked that she had ruined the entire meal. Touchscreen microwaves show up in newer apartments and condos so often, seniors are seeing them on a daily basis whether they want to or not.
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