Lifehack your parents

[Turdacious]

For those of you with parents who garden and who have mobility/balance issues, an action hoe is a great gift.

Wished I'd seen this a couple weeks ago. Had one in my hand at Walmart and said wth is this? Now watched a video and will have to get one. I hate pulling weeds in wife's flower gardens and she can barely do it herself anymore.

I said something similar years ago, but found that it was more useful than the videos suggested. Definitely worth the investment for anyone with a yard or a garden IMHO.

[terra]

My parents are in late 70s. I try to offer my help, they don't seem to want it.
Especially my Mum, almost as if she wants to suffer.
It makes it hard to see her, I have to disconnect at many levels.

My GFs parents are the opposite and have benefitted greatly from the lifehacking. Her father (80) previously could hardly walk after a botched knee replacement. He let me work with him. He made a real effort to get to me whenever they could (3 hour trip), and recently was able to go skiing in Japan with my GF and her brothers. He also could now teach his grandkids to ski. That was BIG for him.

GFs mum (mid 70s) is now back downhill skiing and riding their horses. Even won a slalom event at their ski club comps. Only at a social club level, but still, it's important to them as a family.
It's rewarding to see them run with my advice and get value from what I offer.

[terra]

Both parent are in their 70's...my dad's down to 30 hours weeks building drag cars and other oddities. He's walked off stage 4 cancer twice (Lung, Brain and Lymphoma) and is still smoking along. My Mom's got a hobby farm and powerlifts in the USAPL.

Cool.

[JimZipCode]

Especially my Mum, almost as if she wants to suffer.
It makes it hard to see her, I have to disconnect at many levels.

Yeah.

It's like something they taught at YMCA lifesaving classes when I was a kid: help, don't let them pull you under with them. Makes me feel callous, but necessary.

[Turdacious]

MS Teams is a good tool for seniors, especially with teh functionality they've recently added. If you're familiar enough with it to create a team and invite a parent or senior of choice, they should be able to get on relatively easily (assuming they have a MS account and remember the username and password). I had my mom signed up and messing around with background effects in under an hour. AFAIK there aren't the conversation limits on Teams that Zoom has (40 minutes for free accounts).

Interesting to see a perspective of someone who doesn't have to use it too-- for me it's a useful tool which enhances my ability to work from home/ annoying electronic leash. For her? Mostly hands-free gamechanger.