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Grown children often live many miles away from their aging parents. Young people need to go where the jobs are, and these days that often means moving out of state, away from family and friends. Parents often enjoy traveling to visit their grown children who have moved out of state and enjoy busy schedules with their own families and their work.

As the parents begin to age, they frequently are unable to travel and most of the communication is by telephone. However, many of today’s seniors grew up without a telephone and learned to think of the telephone only as a devise for sharing short bits of information. Their calls have usually be only three to five minutes, certainly not long enough to replace a good day’s visit. Many find it difficult to enjoy a visit by telephone and worry about the cost of a long-distance call. Communication is also compromised if the parent is becoming hard of hearing. And the quality of these communications is further compromised if the parents begin to suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Today, with the use of a computer equipped with a camera, a microphone and high speed internet access, video conferencing is possible. It’s a great way to stay connected and have face-to-face time when you can’t be with family and friends. Video calls using Skype, which are completely free to users, are probably the most widely used videoconferencing system. For the elderly, the use of Skype in place of a traditional telephone call has many advantages. The first and biggest advantage is getting to see the person they’re talking with. As an added bonus, they can see the surroundings; a family home, children playing, pets running through the room, etc. Gathering children, pets and friends to share in the conversation makes the call very much like an in-person visit. They say “a picture is worth a thousand words”, and video conferencing is one of the best examples. Seeing the expression on a family members face when they tell you, and sometimes show you, how much they enjoy the gift you sent is priceless. For the hard of hearing, the video picture aids greatly in comprehension. All this and there is no need to be concerned about cost, because using Skype is free.

One drawback to be overcome is that many elderly find computer use to be confusing and frustrating. Many seniors today are more comfortable with using computers now, but as they age, they may find that they no longer have the patience to use the computer. Fortunately, caregivers and family members can help out.

Those involved in health care and services to the elderly are beginning to recognize the value of Skype and make it available to the elderly. It has been said that once the senior’s independence is taken away, this can be their interaction, keeping them connected to the world of friends and family. Many residential homes for the elderly are providing computers with high speed internet access that can be used by the elderly for the video calls. There are often volunteers, local family members or even health workers who will help make the calls with the computer. This is most certainly a worth checking out and will bring joy to the face of a senior who can now fully enjoy a videoconferencing visit with family and friends.

Janet Smytherton has enjoyed working with the elderly for the past 20 years. Her focus is on providing our elderly with the best possible Assisted Living Facilities. Her Orange County Assisted Living Facilities Directory in California is an online resource that does not require the user to give personal information.