Technology” where will it end”

 I hear that supermarkets are thinking of doing away with staffed checkouts, and replacing them with automatic checkouts where a machine checks everything for you.

What happened to the good old days when you could ask a member of staff about the products, or just have a general chat. I think this is going to hit the elderly, the less abled or people with mental health issues, who possibly need someone to talk to when they get stuck and need support, either in finding or paying for something.

I find that this is yet another obstacle in the way of these people, as we already have a push to have contactless payments everywhere, yet many elderly and people with disabilities may not carry or want to carry credit cards, either because of the problems remembering key codes, or they simply feel unable to use them.

We also have doctors stopping people from seeing them, because they want everything to be done online or on web-chats, like zoom etc, yet here again a lot of people struggle to use computer technology, and how do you explain personal problems over a computer.

 I had an experience of this recently, when my wife was worried about a lump which started to grow on my back during the first lockdown. When she rang the doctors surgery, they sent a link and my wife to photograph the lump and send it back to the doctors via this link. Needless to say it did not work, and after trying a few times, we just gave up and my wife rang up to explain that she is not into technology and could not get it to work.

After this we were given an appoint to to see a nurse practitioner who started the process going. I confess that some of these nurse practitioners are better than some of today’s doctors, but that’s life.

On top of this we are no longer allowed to ask for repeat prescriptions, you are supposed to do this in line yet again, although you can go to your doctors and put the repeat into a letter box to get processed.

I find all of this technology is going over the top, as it’s going too fast, and many of us cannot cope. 

It feels as if we are having everything done by robots these days and it’s becoming frightening for me, but there  are others who may find this too much.

 Is this another form of discrimination, I do wonder, because it’s causing more and more confusion to those of us with memory issues 

Dealing with added bowel problems

 Over the last year or so, I have had major bowel problems which can lead to me rushing to the toilet at anytime day or night, and sometimes I was too close for comfort.

I have had Irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulitis for years now, but this was an added unwanted problem, which meant I was going to the toilet 5 times a day at least, and losing weight.

 I guess I was classed as over weight anyway, so I needed to lose some according to the Body mass indicator and one of my doctors, who did not recognise the fact that a bloated stomach did  not necessarily mean I was over weight, it’s just something that happens when I eat something that disagrees with me. 

He joked that I looked pregnant and refused to accept that I was in pain. The problem was that I have memory problems and find it hard to explain things at times, so I took this as an insult, especially as I had gone in with a suspected chest infection, which he said was nothing more than a cold. 

Strangely after doing a sputum test that afternoon, I left feeling very upset, only to get a phone call a few days later telling me that I needed a course of strong antibiotics for a chest infection. 

However this bowel problem caused me to lose quite a lot of weight, but I could not war a belt to keep my trousers up so I had to resort to wearing bracers, something I never liked. 

After scans X-rays and other tests over Christmas, I eventually got a phone call from the consultant telling me it was not cancer, something I had never even considered, but the rest of the symptoms were ignored until last month when I got another phone call telling me that I had something called microscopic colitis, similar to crohns disease, but this was not explained. 

I was told to go on a large dose of steroids for 8 weeks, then I would be contacted again. He told me to take them all in one dose 9 mg a day, but I was in agony and did not want to eat. 

My wife rang our doctors and they said I had to split the dose to 3 timesaver day, until the consultant came back to them. 

This has been a big help and although my diet has totally changed to dairy free, to cut down the cramps and bloating. 

Dementia and hobby's

 Many people give everything up after a diagnosis of dementia, and simply give up the will to fight on.

 

 But others keep going with it hobbies for as long as they can, while some even learn to do other hobbies, or even learn a different language, which is good.

 

Over the years many of my hobbies have been given up, either because I forgot how to do them, or they became too dangerous to do anymore.

 

As far as art is concerned I don't seem to be able to draw properly anymore, which is upsetting.

 

When I was an engineer I could go and look at a job of work, then I would sketch it out, and measure it up, knowing that I could work from the sketches, etc.  These days it's all gone and trying to sketch things is very hit and miss.

 

 However, I do still fight to hang on to using my computer and my camera, and although I can't always remember the settings, I am still determined to hang in a long as I can

 

Other people have other hobbies, which vary quite a lot.

 

I know someone who now carves walking sticks as a hobby, and that is amazing to hear about.

 

 I used to love wood carving, but these days, with a lack of coordination, I am a liability when it comes to using sharp tools, etc, so it's something that was stopped, although I still have my tools. But no doubt these will be sold off before I do any damage to myself

 

Others go walking with groups or meet other friends in pubs etc, where they have a good time.

 

I do feel that it's up to us all to keep fighting for as long as we can because the thought of giving up is a step too far.

 

Some people like singing for the brain these days. However, although I was in a church choir for over 10 years, I no longer sing these days, because I cannot get out of my boots as far as my voice is concerned, so I would rather be doing something that I can still enjoy doing.

 

I no longer swim because of coordination problems, because these days, when I move my arms while swimming, my mouth opens, and I end up swallowing more water than enough, so this was stopped.

 

However, it's good to hear about groups for people with dementia, etc, these days because people really need to remain active and mix with others where ever possible. 

 

I admit that these days I struggle due to my memory, but also have Osteoarthritis, Bronchiectasis and Microscopic Colitis which is causing utter havoc, because of the constant running to the toilet day and night.

 

 

But I still carry on at my own pace and that's important to me, as well as my family 

Photography keeps my brain active and allows me to take photographs of landscapes and wildlife, and to me, that's very important.

When I am out taking photographs, people always stop and speak, so I am never alone. It's amazing how many times a photographer has come up and spoken to me and perhaps told me where to get photographs of different things. 

 

Yes, I can have bad days when I don't remember the camera settings, but it's not the end of the world.,

 

These days I stick to automatic settings most of the time because I struggle to remember the manual settings, and while it's upsetting to lose that part of the hobby, I do feel that it's not the end of the world. 

 

The fact that I enjoy going out with my camera, and enjoy myself is all that matters. 

 

I think everyone should be encouraged to remain active and mix with others while they can still do it.

 

Many people give everything up after a diagnosis of dementia, and simply give up the will to fight on.

 But others keep going with it hobbies for as long as they can, while some even learn to do other hobbies, or even learn a different language, which is good.

As far as art is concerned I don't seem to be able to draw properly anymore, which is upsetting.

When I was an engineer I could go and look at a job of work, then I would sketch it out, and measure it up, knowing that I could work from the sketches, etc.  These days it's all gone and trying to sketch things is very hit and miss.

However I do still fight to hang on to using my computer and my camera, and although I can't always remember the settings, I am still determined to hang in a long as I can

Other people have other hobbies, which vary quite a lot.

I know someone who now carves walking sticks as a hobby, and that is amazing to hear about.

 

I used to love wood carving, but these days, with a lack of coordination, I am a liability when it comes to using sharp tools, etc, so it's something that was stopped, although I still have my tools. But no doubt these will be sold off before  I do any damage to myself

Others go walking with groups or meet other friends in pubs etc, where they have a good time.

I do feel that it's up to us all to keep fighting for as long as we can because the thought of giving up is a step too far.

Some people like singing for the brain these days. However, although I was in a church choir for over 10 years, I no longer sing these days, because I cannot get out of my boots as far as my voice is concerned, so I would rather doing something that I can still enjoy doing.

 

I no longer swim because of coordination problems, because these days, when I move my arms while swimming, my mouth opens and I end up swallowing more water than enough, so this was stopped.

 

However, it's good to hear about groups for people with dementia, etc, these days because people really need to remain active and mix with others where ever possible. 

 

We have a staic caravan which we use to get away from home for holidays etc, but this year I have loved being there rather than being at home, because i find it more relaxing, just sitting watching the wild birds etc, some of which are very friendly, i guess because its quiet most of the time.

 

The only downturn is the fact that I am getting more agitated these days, but thats life and i guess I am lucky to have got this far.

 

Life moves on