If you have an elderly loved one that reaches out to you when they’re having issues with the devices in their lives, there are a few things that you can try to help get things back on track for them. 

To help you know what you should do and say when you get one of these phone calls from your grandparent in their assisted living facility, here are three things to try when your elderly loved one is having technical difficulties. 

Help Them In A Way They’ll Understand

When you get a phone call for help with some kind of technology from a person of an older generation, the way that you help them will differ from the type of help that you’d offer someone who’s the same age or younger than you.

For people who grew up around technology, you can use a lot of the abbreviations for things and they’ll still understand what you’re saying. But for many older people, you will likely have to be careful about how you explain things to them so that they can actually understand. A lot of the terminology that you might use or the shortcuts that you’d recommend to others may not be useful when dealing with your elderly loved ones. So while it can be hard to slow down and explain things a little differently, this is going to be the best way to make sure they actually get the help they’re looking for. 

Close Everything Out And Try Again

Whether you understand the issue that your elderly loved one is having when they call for your help or not, some of the best things that you can advise them to do when things aren’t working right is to close everything out and try again.

Depending on the tech that they’re using, this could mean closing the tab and trying again, logging out of the account and logging back in, or closing out all of the windows they have open and opening just one to do the task they’re trying to accomplish. 

Try Restart Their Device

Regardless of the device that they’re using, one of the most helpful things that someone can do when they’re having technical difficulties is to just restart their device. This can work for something like a smartphone or tablet as well as with a printer or even a larger appliance. Turning the device off or unplugging it for a few moments and then plugging it back in can reset things enough to get them working how your loved one is expecting them to to work.

If your elderly loved one calls you for help with some kind of technical difficulty, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you give them the guidance they need.