What are 16 ways that tech can make life easier for older people?

Ralph
00:00:00

Mom missed her medication again. Dad keeps forgetting to pay his bills and both of them seem more isolated than ever. Does this sound familiar? If it does, you're not alone.

Countless families are struggling with aging parents who insist on maintaining their independence despite growing challenges. What if I told you there's a way to help them stay safe, connected and still remain independent, all while giving you peace of mind?

Well, today I'm going to reveal 16 game changing technology solutions that are transforming seniors lives. And get this, one of my clients went from missing medications and feeling isolated to absolutely thriving independently.

All because of one simple technology change we made. So stay tuned to discover how technology can be the answer your family's been praying for.

Podcast Announcer
00:00:49

In a world where crushing debt keeps you trapped, where living paycheck to paycheck has become your new normal, and where the dream of retirement seems impossibly out of reach, there's hope. Join financial evangelist Ralph Estep Jr. A man who's walked through the fire of financial failure and emerged stronger on the other side.

Welcome to Ask Ralph, the show where real world experience meets biblical truth. To break the bondage of financial despair.

To get ready to take control of your money, break free from the financial stress and align your resources with God's purpose for your life. This is Ask Ralph with Ralph Estep Jr.

Ralph
00:01:27

Welcome to the show where we master your finances from a Christian perspective. I'm grateful you join me for today. I'm always happy when you come over here and visit and we talk about Christian finance.

We talk about how to master our finances from that Christian perspective. Now if you missed yesterday's show, we had a challenging topic.

We talked about supporting parents with dementia and helping them manage their finances and more importantly, manage their life.

So if you missed that critical episode, I'm going to encourage you to go back and listen because I provided some essential guidance for any family who's facing this difficult situation. And here's one of the things I want to remind you about. Before you make any financial decision, always remember to ask Ralph.

That's right, you can check out ask graph.com I've got hundreds of questions answered in our episode catalog. We've got blog posts out there.

So before you make any big financial decision, just go to askralph.com, click on the search icon and put in your question and I might have already answered it for you. And if I haven't answered for you, submit that question to the show.

Now we start the show with a question and today's heart wrenching message comes from Reese. And this is what she wrote. She said, dear Ralph, I'm writing this with tears in my eyes.

Last week I discovered my parents, who were in their late 70s, had forgotten to pay their mortgage for three months. When I visited them, I found past due notices piled up on their kitchen table, unopened medication and a nearly empty refrigerator.

They've always been proud, independent people who raised me to be responsible with money and strong in faith. But now watching them struggle is breaking my heart. Dad, who used to be an accountant, can barely manage their online banking anymore.

Mom keeps saying she's fine, but she's becoming more isolated since she can't drive at night to attend her beloved evening Bible study. They insist on living alone in their home of 40 years, and I respect that. But I lie awake at night worried about their safety and well being.

Ralph I feel torn between honoring their independence and fulfilling my Christian duty to care for them. How can technology help them age in place while giving me peace of mind?

I'm desperate for solutions that will help them maintain their dignity while keeping them safe and connected to both family and their faith community. And Reese, let me just tell you, that is a great question. And it's a question that many of us are facing as we see our parents aging.

Or maybe we're those parents and we're aging. I kind of put myself in that basket.

I just turned 52 in September, but I can already see where I've got to start looking for ways to make my life easier. Use some technology. So I hear your concern, Reese, and it's a great follow up to yesterday's show when I talked about dementia.

And I am by no means saying that your parents have dementia. I am not saying that at all. But both of those things brought to mind ways that we can look for ways to improve our lives.

And there are some great technologies out there now. That's one of the benefits of technology.

We are really seeing a time, you know, a lot of people are worried about machine learning and AI and how that's going to take over the world.

I was at a dinner party the other day and we had a huge discussion about AI and there are some things to be scared of, but there are also some great things. And I'm going to tap into those today, Reese, because I think I've got some answers for you.

As you know, a few days ago I mentioned that I'm going to start every show with a gratitude statement because one of the things that I want to do in 2025 is really focus on how each of us and I'm speaking for myself now, how we need to be more grateful for what we have. So today I'm particularly grateful for technology. That's right, technology. Because it allows us to reach and support one another.

In my financial ministry work, and that's what I really call it now, I've seen how tools that seemed intimidating at first, so they were so overwhelming and people got so concerned about them and that's the way they felt at first. But they can become bridges that connect generations and they truly can strengthen families.

So just as we steward our finances, we must also wisely steward these technological blessings. These get that word out today. I was tripped up on that one. But that is really my gratitude statement today.

I'm grateful for this technology that allows us to support one another. Well, today's Bible verse comes from First Timothy, chapter 5, verse 8. And it says this.

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Ouch. That one stings. But Reese, it directly talks about what you are talking about today in your question.

If anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially for members of his household, he's denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. And that really speaks to our sacred duty to care for our family members.

Just as our parents cared for us when we were younger, it's our job to care for them. And the truth is, in today's digital age, technology has become one of our most powerful tools.

Because the truth is it can fulfill this biblical mandate and at the same time help others achieve both financial success and spiritual growth. We just need to figure out how to harness that. And that's my whole goal. Today.

I'm going to talk to you about how to harness that technology to improve not just your parents lives, but our lives in general. Imagine this feeling suddenly locked out of your family's financial life and not because they're miles or distance away, but because of technology.

So I'm going to tell you about my client. Her name is Laurel. It's not her real name, but we're going to say her name is Laurel. And that became her reality. She became digitally disconnected.

And for her, it wasn't just about inconvenience. It turned into a form of isolation. And when I was preparing for the show, I was shocked to find this.

Over 40% of seniors feel left behind by technology. And consider this. When they reach age 75, that number jumps to 80%. Now listen, I'm no spring chicken.

I'VE been doing this kind of accounting and financial work for over 30 years, and I really thought I understood my clients. I could put together a good tax return if they own a business. I could put together a good profit and loss statement.

I could counsel them on how to set up their books and all this kind of stuff. But for. I'm starting to realize now that I'm missing out on a big portion of this. And Laurel's story changed everything for me.

Think about this for a minute. Think about your own parents or maybe your grandparents. How many of them struggle with video calls or online banking.

So you know exactly what I'm talking about. So let me tell you more about Laurel. And Laurel came into me frequently. She was a small business client. We would interact with her business.

We would interact with her tax returns. So I'd seen her repeatedly year after year. And this is a lady who confidently managed her business taxes for years.

And that was no easy feat because Laurel was widowed at age 45 and she raised her three children all by herself. She successfully managed her family business. And let me just tell you, she didn't really need my help, to be honest.

She was impeccable with her financial records until a couple years ago. She came in to meet with me, and she just didn't look the same. I mean, physically, you could see that something was going on.

There was hesitation in her movement, There was uncertainty in her voice.

And this woman was not an uncertain person having to raise three kids on her own from age 45, when she was with her, this lady had her stuff together and she shared with me. She said, Ralph, something's going on. She said, just the other day, I was sitting at my desk and I realized I had this stack of unopened bills.

I've been missing my medication and Ralph since my kids have grown up and they moved away, I feel so very isolated from my family. And think about that. She was sitting there and it wasn't about taxes, it wasn't about accounting. It was about life.

Just yesterday, I had a zoom call with a client. And this particular client, we interact a couple times a year. She got a very good business, her and her husband. And we started off the call.

She said, I'm sorry I haven't. Haven't been able to talk to you for a while.

But she said, I've been going through a real difficult time with my daughter, and I'm not going to share on the show because it's not everybody's business. But she's been having a struggle with her daughter. And they finally came to some decision points.

There's been some diagnosis now which puts two and two together. And she said, Ralph, I feel so bad because I haven't been doing the things that you've asked me to do.

I haven't been able to aggressively manage my business. And I said to her, I said, listen, I get it. Those things come first. Those emotional things are so very important in our lives.

And that's exactly what Laurel was telling me. She said to me, she said, Ralph, I used to be so good at everything I do. Now I feel stupid every time I try to use any of these gadgets.

My kids have moved away. They want to FaceTime me, and they want to do all these things. And she said, Ralph, it's gotten so bad that a couple weeks ago, I didn't realize it.

I hadn't paid the electric bill in two months. And they sent me a disconnection notice. And I could tell she was embarrassed. Now, like I said, this was a lady that was on top of stuff.

And she said, Ralph, you don't even understand how embarrassing it was for me. I had to pick up the phone. I had to call the utility company and give them a payment over the phone. She said, I was so embarrassed.

And as she started talking to me about how this impacted her family, she said, Ralph, I miss birthday celebrations. You know, my. My children are concerned about me. I feel like I'm losing confidence. And then the last thing she said to me just rocked me to the core.

She says, Ralph, my biggest fear is I'm losing my independence. And I knew how important that was for her.

Having been a widow at 45, having raised three very successful children on her own, her rock was her independence. And she could feel it just melting away. And let me just tell you, that day changed how I view my role completely. I.

You know, at that point, I thought I was the tax guy, I was the accounting guy, I was the consulting guy. But I knew that I needed to reach Laurel where she was. And I realized that technology wasn't just a convenience anymore. It is truly a lifeline.

And that's when I decided, look, my journey from being a traditional financial accountant and tax provider and advisor, it needs to grow. And there's this whole holistic life plan that I need to tap into.

So for Laurel and for others, I started to research some senior technology solutions. I started to partner with some senior tech specialists. And here's the thing.

I realized your financial health is so very connected to your technological literacy. And those two things go hand in hand with your mental health and your social connections. And for Laurel, it was really an issue of dignity in aging.

And I'm going to share some statistics with you. And these just absolutely knock me off my feet when I read these. 27% of adults 60 and over live alone in the United States. 27%.

And you might say, okay, that's fine, 27%. But here's the problem. Listen to these statistics. Isolated seniors, and these are people who live on their own.

Isolated seniors have a 50% higher risk of dementia. If you're living on your own as a senior and you're isolated, your risk of dementia is 50% higher than those who aren't living alone.

They've got a 29% increased risk of heart disease. They've got a 32% increased risk of stroke. 43% of seniors report feeling lonely regularly.

It just breaks my heart when I read these statistics and listen to this one. Social isolation increases mortality risk by about 30%.

And I think about what we went through with COVID a few years ago and how many people were isolated. Just listen to those statistics. 50% higher risk of dementia. 29% higher risk of heart disease. 32% increased risk of stroke.

And 43% of seniors feel lonely regularly. And that mortality increases by 30%. So I thought to myself, man, I've got to figure out a way to help people.

And that's exactly what I did with Laurel. I'm going to talk about what we did, and then I'm going to talk about some of the beautiful technology that's out there.

So with Laurel, as I do with all of my clients, I started with that initial assessment. I wanted to understand her comfort level in technology. And then we had to prioritize those things.

And I wanted to get her family involved because I knew I wasn't going to be the right person to support this on a daily basis.

I couldn't sit there and handle the phone calls when Laurel was struggling with her iPad or struggling with medication reminders or all those type of things. So for Laurel , we did what I call a step by step implementation. We looked at her financial systems.

That's one of the big things that really was bothering her. You know, that miss Utility payment. So I said, Laurel, here's a great thing you can do.

Let's go ahead and set up automatic bill payments for your recurring charge. Now, she was a little hesitant about this at time. Again, she was one that liked to be in control.

And she said, Ralph, I just don't know if I want to give Them my information. I said, laurel, just trust me on this.

Anything like that, your utility bills, your telephone bill, your water bill, your mortgage, do me a favor, just set those up on automatic payments. The next thing I said to her is, listen, when you log into your online banking, there are large print interfaces.

And I didn't know this until I was preparing for this show and I was talking to Laurel, is that you can actually go and change the screen on your online banking and make them larger print. Another thing I work with Laurel to do is develop some financial alert systems. And I've talked about that on the show from time to time.

And we set up alerts so that if her balance falls below a certain amount or if a transaction hits her account over a certain amount. And then I found out something really cool.

I helped Laurel develop a budgeting tracking app that actually has voice controls, which I thought was really cool. So that's the first thing we looked at.

We looked at her financial system, and then I said, Laurel, one of the other things you've mentioned is you feel isolated, you feel disconnected from your family.

So we looked at communication tools, and she had an iPad, and I helped her configure that with a simplified interface where she could just click one button. And she was using FaceTime, as a matter of fact, and she could push one button to reach each of her grandchildren or each of her children.

And she also had voice calling activated options with Siri, she was able to do that. And she also worked with her family, and they put together a family photo sharing platform, which I thought was really cool.

So when anybody took a picture, it would be shared to a central location. And she actually bought one of these, I guess you call it an electronic picture frame. And it sat right on her kitchen counter.

And she felt like she was connected to her grandkids and her kids because pictures would pop up from the day before. So that was the second thing we looked at, and that was those communication tools.

And one of the other things that Laurel mentioned when she said, Ralph, sometimes I feel like this house is difficult for me. So we looked at some home management things, and one of the coolest things we did for her, and I was a little bit hesitant at first.

I got her a smart thermostat I talked to her about doing. I work with one of my H VAC clients. And they went out to her and they installed one of these smart thermostats.

And I didn't know how she was going to react to it, but she really liked it. We set up some Automated lighting systems with one of my electrician clients. We did some voice control entertainment with one of my other clients.

And the biggest thing we did for her, because, like I said, she mentioned that she thought she might be missing out on medications, and I could see that. Physically, I could tell she wasn't being routine. So we put together some medication management systems.

With her iPhone, she gets alerts, and it was a learning process for her. You know, she worked every week to do some technology training.

And like I said, it didn't come for me because she couldn't, you know, come in to see me once a week. And that's not really my role.

But her family got involved in teaching this, and they gave her simple written guides, and they did practice scenarios and role playing, and all of this was amazing to sit back and watch. And like I said, I'm the finance guy. But it was so cool to see how this changed her life. And there was measurable improvements in six months.

Laurel didn't miss a single bill payment. The other thing, when she would come in to see me, she said, Ralph, it's the coolest thing.

She says, I do these video calls with my family all the time. Sometimes we eat dinner together. And I said, well, how do you do that? They live across the country.

She says, oh, I set up my iPad in front of me while I'm eating, and they do the same. And we sit there and have a video call while we're eating. And I thought that was cool. She had a 30% increase in her social interactions.

Now I'm throwing that 30% out there as a number. That's a probably what it was. And she told me, she said, Ralph, I don't miss a day with my medication.

And you might be saying, Ralph, that's great, but what did that really do for Laurel? Well, here's what it did. It renewed her confidence. It enhanced her independence. She shared me.

She said, Ralph, I sleep better because I'm not worried about, did I forget something?

And it completely reduced her anxiety about daily tasks because she has these electronic monitors now that go off and tell her, hey, don't forget to do this, and hey, don't forget to do this. But the impact wasn't just for Laurel. It was for her family as well. Her children shared that they have peace of mind.

They feel better knowing that mom has got technology that's helping her. It made those intergenerational bonds stronger. She has a much closer relationship with her grandkids. Now. She uses social media to keep up with them.

She talks to them a couple times a week. And like I said, with that photo sharing, there are shared digital experiences. Now, here's some things I didn't expect.

Now, Laurel, like I said, Laurel's a tough lady. She had her stuff together. So when she learned all these things, she said, rob, I got to share this with other people.

So she actually started a senior church group and became a tech mentor. So people will go to her and say, laurel, hey, I know you've got this set up, and I know you've got that set up.

And she created a senior tech support network, and now she's even developing new hobbies through technology. Now, a lot of you might be saying, Ralph, that sounds good, but what in the world does that have to do with faith?

And, you know, good old Ralph, I'm going to tie it into the Bible as well. But here's what it matters. It's a good stewardship of our resources. It develops community support.

It gives us wisdom in aging, and it gives us the adaptability to change. And think about the ministry opportunity this opens up. And I see this in my own church, we've got virtual prayer groups.

Now, Laurel can take advantage of online Bible study. She can actually lead those right from her kitchen table in front of her iPad. And people can share digital devotionals.

And community outreach becomes such a huge thing. And this is where technology, and this is what I started to show. I talked about this.

Technology can now be seen as a blessing because it's connecting generations, it's extending that ministry reach. It's supporting independence. And I dare say it's enhancing the worship experience.

And we all went through that with COVID A lot of people were catching their worship online. Now, I'm not saying don't go to church. You're never going to hear Ralph say this.

But when you can't get to church, let's say there's a snow day like in Delaware. Our pastor this week was talking about, hey, if we got inclement weather, here's where you can go.

Well, think about how that can enhance the worship experience. Maybe you can't make the Sunday night service or the Wednesday night service like in my church.

I actually put together a podcast of the Sunday morning, the Sunday evening, the Wednesday night. And then our pastor does a sermon preview on Fridays and he does a word of the week. So that's where technology has really enabled us to grow.

So that's Laurel's story. Now, let me break down 16 technology solutions. Now, while I'm here, I want to mention something. Every day, when I do the show.

I also write a blog post. So if you're not into listening or watching this show or maybe you want a little bit more information, you can take a.

I know this is an AI term, but you can take a deeper dive by going to our blog post. That's where I put a lot of the details. I put all the sources I use for the items that I talk about in the show and you can find that.

It's real simple to find it. It's at askralphpodcast.com/blog and I'll also put a link to that in the show notes.

But again, all of our episodes, every time I post an episode there's also a blog post where you can go back and find all the data that supports this. And I go a little deeper in that. So let's talk about those 16 technology solutions.

And I talked about a lot of these when I talked about Laurel situation.

But there's a video calling application because these tools help seniors maintain that face to face connection with loved ones and that can truly combat loneliness and isolation. So I think those things are great.

We can also use fitness trackers because these devices monitor physical activity and vital signs and that is so encouraging for seniors to stay active and healthy and they can know when something's going on like if they've got a heart rate issue or maybe their blood oxygen. I know my Apple watch, it gives me so much data sometimes it's data overload. But those fitness trackers are wonderful things.

The third thing I'm going to mention here is medical alert systems. And these can provide immediate assistance in emergencies.

So gives that senior person the ability to stay on their own and they still have that peace of mind and that's great for both seniors and caregivers and you that you know I talked about at the beginning here, Reese, this is an opportunity for you to maybe give that to your parents and then when you feel like there's something going on, they can just press a button and you can have peace of mind knowing that they can get that. Which leads me to number four. That's the smart home devices. There's voice controlled lighting, there's automated thermostats.

These tools make daily tasks easier and safer. Think about this, Reese.

You could actually set it up so that you can monitor your parents thermostat and if you see something weird, you can address it. Number five, online banking tools. I think these are wonderful. You just have to help your senior along getting logged in.

But they can securely manage their finances from home. They don't have to go to the bank anymore. I don't know how many seniors have shared with me, Ralph. They say I used to have to always go to the bank.

I had to make a deposit. She said, it's the coolest thing. Now I just take a picture of the check and it's in my account and I can see what's cleared my account.

She goes, I get all my grandkids because they, they, they don't cash the checks. I send them for the holidays and I get right on my online bank and I can see it. And I think that's wonderful. Number six is telehealth services.

And think about this. It helps break down that isolation. You can do those virtual medical consultations, and that completely eliminates the need to be transported.

And that's been such a barrier for healthcare access. Let's say you have a father or a mother who really struggles to move around.

But with these telehealth services, you put an iPad or a phone in front of them and they can have a direct conversation with their clients or with their doctor. I did this just last evening, my doctor. We did a virtual call yesterday in the afternoon. It was fantastic.

I didn't have to get in my car and drive to his office. He didn't have to worry about. He just hopped in front of his laptop and we were going.

Now another thing I'm going to talk about, number seven on my list here is what I call brain training apps. And I think these are fantastic. I talked about this before.

One of my uncle who passed away a couple of years ago was like 88 years old, and he would do these things. He would do these brain training apps because it helped him keep that mental sharpness. It helped him improve his cognitive function.

And you can share with your parents or your grandparents these apps right on their phones. Number eight, we talked about this with Laurel.

Those virtual religious services, these online platforms keep seniors connected to their faith communities. Maybe they're at the point where they don't want to go out. Maybe it's an icy day and they're afraid of the slip and fall.

And I get that as you get older, that is a real fear for people. But they can still connect with their religious community. I know our church, we live stream every single service. And I'm.

Like I said, I'm not promoting to not go to church. But listen, if you have deficiencies where you can't make it to church, this still allows you to stay connected.

Number nine is that medication management apps. There are digital reminders to ensure proper medication adherence. I get those on my iPhone. I have all my medications tied right into my iPhone.

When I'm supposed to take a pill, it pops up right on the screen and gives me a rhino. And I'm only 52. So much of the things I'm talking about today are not just for seniors. Number 10, transportation apps.

And I think this is wonderful because I think back to when my grandparents, and they've been gone a few years now, that was such a struggle. Somebody had to go take them somewhere. But now we've got ride sharing services, we got Uber and Lyft.

And this gives seniors such independence, and it's all based on that technology. They go right on their iPhone or right on their Android phone and schedule those things.

Number 11, as Laurel learned, these social media platforms and these tools help seniors stay connected with their family and friends. Like Laurel said, it is so cool, Ralph. She says, we sit and we have meals together, even though we're thousands of miles away.

And they use social media to talk about what's going on. Now be careful with that a little bit. I'm going to. I'm going to warn you about that a little bit. You got to be careful.

The seniors, because sometimes I've found that they sort of overshare. So that may be one of those. Come alongside of them and say to them, hey, I don't know if I'd put that there.

Number 12 on my list is entertainment streaming. Think about this. We are streaming movies, we're streaming music, we're streaming books. And all of these things can help keep seniors engaged.

They don't have to just go. When I was a kid, we used to call it 3, 6, and 10. Those were the three main television networks. But now we've got streaming of all varieties.

You can say to your mother, your father, your grandmother, your grandfather, hey, you can access these things. Just go right on this. Just click this one button and you have access to this. And that can really, truly help seniors stay engaged.

Number 13 on my list, online shopping services, groceries and essential items can now be maintained and delivered right to their door. They don't have to worry about going out to the store. Don't worry about those slips and falls. Or maybe they're not so good at driving anymore.

But these online services, they can have that stuff delivered to their door. It works for food, it works for essential items. It even works for medications. Number 14 on my list is virtual learning platforms.

You know, one of the things I say on the show all the time is Continuous learning opportunities will keep minds active. I think it's so cool. I've got several elderly clients who actually go to school online now.

They're taking online classes and a lot of them are absolutely free. They sit down with a cup of coffee in their easy chair. They pop up their laptop or they pop up their tablet computer and they're still learning.

They're still keeping that mind active and engaged. Number 15, and we talked about this as Laurel was that digital photo sharing.

And I think this is a wonderful way to use technology because it helps seniors stay connected to family moments and to family memories.

They don't feel like they're so disconnected because maybe they can't go to those soccer games or those football games or those baseball games or those dances, but they can see the pictures in real time. It's not like they're waiting.

I remember as a kid, right, we would have the Instamatic cameras and you take whatever was on our 20 or 30 pictures and you get it done and you take it to the store and fill out that envelope, put the envelope in the little Dropbox and if you were lucky, in two or three days they call and you'd get your pictures. Well, think about it. Today, with iPhones and Android phones, these things are instant.

And this is beautiful for seniors because they can stay connected to family moments and memories. And number 16, last but not least on my list is safety monitoring systems. There are smart sensors and cameras.

These things can provide security and emergency response to seniors. So I'm going to encourage you, Reese, look into these things for your parents.

You might not do all these things and I'm going to talk a little bit about that in a few minutes. I'm going to talk about my reflection questions and I'll do some action steps. But think about how these things can impact you.

But first, before we move on to that, I want to ask you this. Are you one of those folks that's feeling overwhelmed by financial or maybe even technology challenges?

Maybe today's show has brought about a need to have a discussion with somebody. Whether you're buying a home, you're running a small business, or maybe you're one of those folks like a lot of people in this country.

You're living paycheck to paycheck and you feel isolated, you feel alone. Well, here's what I'm going to tell you. You don't have to walk this journey alone. Like many others, you may be watching your dreams.

You might be feeling like your dreams are slipping away. Maybe you're struggling with mounting debt, you're feeling stuck, you're feeling frustrated.

Like I said, maybe you're an older person, you're feeling isolated, maybe you're a business owner, you're trying to balance business and personal finances and you just feel like there is no hope. But let me tell you, there is hope. Because working together we can create a plan to give you financial freedom while honoring your Christian values.

And I always thought, I always start with this. You know, people ask me, they say, Ralph, well that sounds great but how are you going to get us there?

Well, I'm going to give you an assessment of where you at currently.

We're going to identify your God given dreams, we're going to align those goals with your faith and then I'm going to help you establish a personalized financial roadmap. I'll help you establish accountabilities and I'll help you track your success.

Because guess what, you can overcome these things you're suffering from. You can overcome these difficulties you're having in your life and I can show you how to track your success.

Now I'm going to tell you, be honest with you, there are no cookie cutter solutions. There just aren't.

If you think that you're going to go find this cookie cutter, I'm going to buy this course, I'm going to watch this video, you're going to be mistaken. But working with me, I'm going to give you a practical faith based approach that's tailored to your unique situation because everybody's different.

So maybe you're asking Ralph, can you help me break free from debt? Yes. Can you help me find financial stability? Yes. Can you help me achieve long term success? Yes.

And can you, you help me grow spiritually while building wealth? And the answer is yes you can. And I can help you. Don't let another day pass feeling stuck or overwhelmed or isolated.

I want you to book a consultation and go to do that right from askraf.com when you get to the website along the top banner you'll see a button that says book a call with Ralph and just fill in the blanks. It's really that simple. So let's create your path to financial freedom and spiritual growth together. Don't let another day go by.

Go to askralph.com and click on that book A Call with Ralph. Now a few days ago I talked to you about.

I'm going to add some reflection questions because one of the things that one of the things when we did the survey of the show, people gave me some feedback and this is one of the things they thought about. So I'm going to give you three reflection questions today. First one's this.

How could implementing these technologies that we talked about improve your elderly loved ones quality of life? I think that's a great question because you might ask yourself, well, how can I improve my quality of life too?

Because when I was doing as preparing for this show, I thought, wow, there's some things that I could do, not necessarily just for elderly people, but how could implementing these technologies improve your elderly one's quality of life? So that's question number one. Question number two. And at Reese, I think this one goes directly to your question.

Which of these solutions could address your biggest concerns about your aging parents? So Reese, ask yourself that question. Which of these solutions could address your biggest concerns?

Maybe it's that setting up that online banking or that automatic bill pay or setting up those security alerts or setting up those medication reminders. So ask yourself that question. Which of these solutions could address your biggest concerns? And number three, this is where I talk about action.

You know, I say on the show all the time, intentions are great, but they don't mean much unless you put them into action.

So question number three to reflect on is what steps can you take this week, this very week to help introduce just one of these technologies to your senior family members or maybe to yourself? So think about it. This week, just one of these, one of these technologies, introduce them to your senior family members.

All right, now I promised some action steps and I'm just going to give you three today.

Number one thing, as we just talked about in reflection questions, number one thing I want you to do, assess which technologies could benefit your senior loved ones the most. Which one of these. Now it doesn't have to be all of them if you're going to overwhelm them, if you give them all. So start with just.

And that's number two here on my action list. Start with just one solution and then gradually introduce others.

You don't want to overwhelm your parents, your grandparents or whoever else you're caring for, your elderly aunts or uncles. Or don't overwhelm yourself either.

Maybe you pick one a week or one a month even, because they're going to need your support, they're going to need your guidance. And that's number three on my list, is provided patient. And I mean patient. Be patient with people. Think about it yourself.

The first time you got that iPhone or the first time you got that Android phone or that iPad or that technology that you hadn't used before that smartwatch. Provide them with patient support and training during the adoption process.

Because if you do that, once they catch the technology and once they understand it, you won't have to do it much more because they're going to embrace it. They're going to appreciate it.

You know, just like Laurel, when she got that electronic picture frame she shared with me, she said, Ralph, this was overwhelming. She said it came in a box. It looked like a typical picture frame, she says. But to be honest, I couldn't figure out what to do with it.

She got in, she got in touch with her grandson, and her grandson walked her through it. He actually did a YouTube video for her to show her how to do it. So be patient. Provide that support.

Now, tomorrow we're going to be talking about an interview I did with Robert Plank about how to take control of your finances. It's a replay of an interview I was on his show, but I thought it was so engaging that I wanted to share it with each of you.

So don't miss these actionable steps that I talk about with Robert, because they're going to help you gain that financial freedom. And remember this. And I know I went a little long today, but there was a lot to cover in this technology episode. But remember this.

My passion is to help you achieve financial success. I want to see you live out your dreams and I want to see you grow in your faith.

And I know working together, we can master your finances from a Christian perspective. So as I always end the show, stay financially savvy out there, stay technologically savvy. Because listen, folks, technology's not going anywhere.

We either gonna embrace it or we're gonna get left behind. And there are so many good things about technology. And yes, there's bad things about technology, I get it.

But there's so much good that can come out of this technology. So as I close today, may God bless you abundantly.

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