DISABILITY ISSUES
Vol. 19 No. 1

Have you ever been worried because you couldn't remember whether you took your morning medication? Forgotten to defrost the chicken and had to eat macaroni and cheese instead?

In today's busy world, anyone can have trouble keeping track of time, activities, or belongings. Many times this leads to a somewhat comic scene, as you make three trips to the grocery store instead of one, or discover the unmailed Christmas cards in January. Perhaps it leads just to a slight disappointment you'd really been looking forward to barbecued chicken hadn't you?

However, sometimes the consequences can be more serious. Forgetting necessary medication, missing important business appointments or losing valuable documents can significantly affect the quality of your life, health and employment.

Fortunately, technology is available to assist people with all types of disabilities to remember what they want to remember when it needs to be remembered and to organize their home or work lives.

Calendar management products help you to be where you need to be or to do what needs to be done at the right time, and range from simple paper calendars and small digital memo systems to hand-held computers and computer linked paging systems. Primary consideration should be given to whether you prefer to use a paper system, a voice re-cording system, or a computer based system. Comprehensive calendar management systems are available in all three modes. Be sure to consider whether or not you need an alarm to remind you of appointments. If you do, and you use a paper system or voice recording system with no alarm, you will need to find a portable alarm product to use in combination with those systems, for example, a watch with an audible or vibrating alarm.

Some people prefer a paper-based system, finding it familiar, easiest to manage, easy to learn to use, free of technological problems, and perfectly adequate for their needs. Choices range from the simple, free calendars given out in card stores to modular systems such as Day Timers. For individuals who are blind and prefer a paper system, there is a Braille desk calendar while for those who have low vision or fine motor problems, there is a large print wall and desk calendar. People who cannot read can use a picture-based daily planner with removable cards picturing daily activities.

Another alternative is a voice recording memo system for calendar management. These systems can range from an inexpensive 20 second message recording device to systems with alarms that remind you of appointments in your own voice.

Voice recording systems provide easy data entry when the use of paper and pencil is impractical. Individuals with fine motor problems may find it easier to record memos and appointments rather than writing them down or entering them into a computer based system. Individuals who are blind may wish to use a new sight-free voice recording system.

Computer based systems use calendar management software available at retail sites or preloaded on your computer. It is certainly worth exploring preloaded software to see if it is suitable for your needs. If not, a careful look at the features available in such products as Names and Dates, DayTimer, ACT!, or Microsoft Outlook may identify a product that meets your needs. Personal Organizer software from Acrontech (716-854-3814) is specifically designed for use by individuals who need large print or speech synthesis capabilities. It offers a calendar, reminders, check writing, address book, a filing system and more.

Desktop computer calendar software may or may not come with an alarm. Those that do may require that the computer be left on all the time. Some handheld computer systems like the Psion series and the Palm Pilot have alarms. Some also feature PC connectivity that would allow one to transfer data back and forth from the desktop to the hand-held computer. There is also a DataLink Watch which allows one to download appointments from a computer to a watch. Software can be found in retail stores such as Comp USA, MicroCenter, Staples, and Office Max.

Pill boxes and reminders for medication management come in a variety of forms. Plastic pill holders are available with 2, 4, 7 or 28 compartments. The 7 and 28 compartment holders hold up to a week's worth of pills. Some pill reminders have built in alarms, and one model can even be filled with a supply of water.

Individuals who are blind can find pill dispensers with Braille labels and/or large print letters. Individuals with fine motor difficulties may benefit from using either the jumbo pillboxes with large compartments or ones that have sliding covers rather than snap covers.

Sometimes a combination of devices will need to be used to achieve the best results. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and need alarms to remind them of the time to take medication could use a pill re-minder in combination with either a vibrating alarm watch or a vibrating pocket timer. This combination may also be useful for those who don't want an audible alarm on their reminder device.

MaxiAids (800-522-6294) and Independent Living Aids (800-537-2118) catalogs both provide a wide choice of pill reminders, as do drugstores such as Walgreens and CVS.

Other Daily Activities:

Both computer software and paper products are available to assist in contact management, or keeping track of telephone numbers, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. for individuals with a variety of abilities and disabilities. Address books are available in Braille and large print, Acrontech computer software, which is compatible with voice synthesizers is available to manage addresses and phone numbers. Many computers come with built in email address management systems.

Small electronic personal data organizers are widely available in drug stores, retail stores, and office supply stores. The compatibility of these devices with an individual's visual and motor skills is extremely important. Memory phones, which eliminate the need to remember frequently dialed phone numbers, are also widely available, and come in models suitable for individuals who have additional special needs related to vision, hearing, or fine motor skills. Individuals who are not able to read may be able to use a photo memory phone.

Whatever your needs with regard to technology for memory and organization, there is probably a product or combination of products that can help you. For help finding or selecting a product, call Technology for Memory and Organization at (781) 444-0297. This article was provided by Kathy McHale, a Disability Issues reader who is the founder of Technology for Memory and Organization, 185 Lindbergh Avenue, Needham, MA 02494. She can also be reached at kmchale@mediaone.net