WHY AM I HERE? – geezer and McDONALD’S!!
Posted: February 9, 2016 Filed under: geezerEats, geezerFriendly, geezerTips, geezerTrips, Life Style, Why Am I Here? | Tags: age, aging, elder, elderly, geriatric, lifespan, old age, old people, retirement, senior, senior citizen Leave a comment »Approximately 60 years ago, I worked at a McDonald’s in Wichita, Kansas. I worked the evening shift after a day of spot-welding, making french-fries to pay for college. It was a summer job and taught me a lot.
At 75, I find McDonalds useful to me again. In the morning, both in Albuquerque, NM and on the road when I travel, it provides me with a “Senior Coffee” for 47 cents and an Egg McMuffin; frequently two for the price of one, if you participate in their survey, and get a validation Code. Thus breakfast for two this morning, with good coffee and fresh-fried eggs, came to $4.17 plus .29 tax for a total of $4.46; and, no tip.
Getting the validation code only takes a few minutes on your computer and at my age the hand-eye coordination is useful. The survey site marks a sample Promo receipt so it is easy to know how to fill in the survey.
I like the clean restrooms, the free Wi-Fi, and the staff; a bit older than when I was running the french fry machine in the late fifty’s. It makes a clean, safe, stop where I can check my e-mail, have a coffee and use the restrooms.
Groups of seniors seem to gather in the early morning at many local McDonald’s; and, on the road at the highway McDonalds. Most are great, one or two, I wouldn’t go back to, but for us McDonald’s has become a senior ritual not to mention a social gathering place.
THINK OLD!
geezer BUYS A PRIUS
Posted: February 8, 2016 Filed under: AGING, geezerFinance, geezerTrips, Uncategorized | Tags: age, aging, elder, elderly, geriatric, lifespan, old age, old people, retirement, senior, senior citizen Leave a comment »I had 100,000 miles on my Honda Civic and it was time for a new car. I am too old too negotiate; and, as an old man, I am always afraid that I will screw something up. I like simple. I like a deal; even if I am the only one who thinks that I got a deal.
I decided on a Prius. Consumer Reports liked it. With expensive gas, 55 miles to the gallon sounded nice.
The sticker price on a 2013 Prius was $25,350 plus, taxes, license, etc.
I took my Civic to CarMax; they told me they would buy it for $7000 and the offer was good for seven days. I didn’t feel like arguing with a dealer over a trade-in and a young teacher friend needed a car, so I sold it to her for $7000; provided I could keep it until I got the Prius.
I have three sons, a brother, two sisters and numerous other relatives and friends who live around the country and whom I visit. Consumer Reports Auto Buying Guide let me enter a zip code and gave me a price and a dealer. I entered the zip codes of relatives that I visit. Spartanburg, SC, near where one of my son’s lives, had the best price.
I agreed to buy the Prius for $21146.97 plus optional equipment of $399, NM Sales Tax of $634.05, and NM License and Title of $79, for a total of $22259.02. This was all done by e-mail with my credit card for a $500 deposit. Two years of free maintenance came with the car.
The dealer put my name on the car and said I could pick it up any time in the next month.
I flew into Spartneburg, SC. the dealer picked me up at the airport, let me drive the car since I had not driven a Prius, filled out the papers and I was on my way in an hour. They gave me a 30 day transit permit, and I left.
I drove the car to visit my son, drove back to NM, seeing part of the country that I had never seen before, and stopping to see several old friends along the way. Two weeks later I received, a bill of sale, a check to the State of NM for the sales tax and a check to MVD for the license.
It was the easiest and cheapest car deal that I had ever done. It is now two years and 40,000 miles later and I still get between 55 and 60 miles to the gallon.
The savings, after deducting tax and license was: MSRP $3804.03; Albuquerque, Consumer Reports price, $3135.03; Tucson, CS price, $3135.03. Several others I tried were in the same range.
The downside was that I had to drive back from Greenville, but I visited friends and saw a part of the country I had not seen before. The hotels and meals were reasonable and the Southwest Ticket I would have bought anyway to see my son and I only had to buy a one-way ticket, so I really saved the cost of the hotels and meals. I didn’t lose any work as I am retired, so….
THINK OLD!
geezer TAPES THE DOCTOR!
Posted: October 7, 2015 Filed under: AGING, COPING, geezerHealth, medical, Uncategorized | Tags: age, aging, elder, elderly, geriatric, lifespan, old age, old people, retirement, senior, senior citizen Leave a comment »One of the problems old people have is that when they go to see the doctor, they can’t remember, or don’t understand, what s/he told them. Most doctors are not old, so they may not recognize that there is an old person in front of them. Even if they do, they won’t have a feel for what it is to be old.
At the end of the medical visit, ask the doctor if he would tell your smart phone what is wrong with you, what you need to do, and what the next step is. Also ask him if there is anything else you should be aware of.
This is simple. You already know how to take a photo of your grandkid. Just move from photo to video and press the button. It will record the doctor and what s/he says. You can then play this back. Don’t forget to turn the volume up. If you have a problem with this, practice with your grandkid. S/he will know how to work the smart phone.
You then have a diagnosis that you, or your kids, can listen to over and over. If the Doctor does not want to do this, get a new doctor.
You need to be clearly understand what is wrong with you and what you are supposed to do about it.
When you go to pick up your meds, ask the pharmacist what the medicine is for. While you are there, get a printout of all the medicines that you have taken in the last year. Ask the pharmacist if s/he sees any adverse reaction problems.
BUSINESSES DON’T GET IT
Posted: May 17, 2015 Filed under: AGING, ESSAYS, geezerEats | Tags: age, aging, elder, elderly, geriatric, lifespan, old age, old people, retirement, senior, senior citizen Leave a comment »Ok, so I am old, so my hearing and my eyesight is not what it once was. Yet every day, someone wants to sell me something, but they don’t know who I am. Businesses approach things from their point of view; even when trying to sell something to me. You would think that they would focus on me; not only their targeted customer, but for at least another 20 years, their customer who has the most money. In 20 years, old people will be broke; today many of us have money. Businesses catering to the old should realize this.
My wife bought a device for her mother that allows her mother to locate lost things; purse, glasses, keys, etc. It is a great idea; but, the only instructions are on the side of a 2 x 2 inch box in type so small that you can’t even read it with a magnifying glass. And, if your purse is lost, which it frequently is with old people; the device to locate the purse is usually in the purse. Go figure!
What is even worse; from an old person’s point-of-view, is that they have to ask someone for help thus admitting to old age.
Are there any geriatric tech writers? Look at the instructions that come with something you have bought. Were those instructions written with you in mind?
Don’t forget businesses that have receptionists who have such a low voice that you can’t hear them; or, more common, those that rattle off the information so fast, that you don’t get it.
How would you explain to your mirror how to put something together; or, how to operate something so that you could understand it? Even harder than explaining it to a mirror, is explaining it to a business. I especially like the low voice-tone and talking speed in audiologists’ offices. You would think an audiologist would realize that the only reason that you were there was because you were deaf. But they don’t seem to realize that when talking to you.
Restaurants forget, that while noise may increase turnover and profits, noisy places do not attract old people. Twice this week we have decided against restaurants because of their noise level. And, 50 % of restaurants fail in the first year and 75% in the first five years. Meanwhile, the number of old people is increasing. Restaurants that play music play it for the young help; they forget that two-thirds of their customers are over 65 and like to talk to each other, not listen to some loud off-putting music.
I could go on, and probably will, about services and products for old people being developed by people who are not old and who don’t understand old people.