Something Saved My Life Last Year
Posted on | February 23, 2007 at 8:06 am | 9 Comments
I’m an extremely organized person. Ask anyone. Sometimes this does tend to conflict with my innate laziness (see this entry, for example), but for the most part I’m able to keep everything in order without much external help. Until this past summer. It all started with my father falling in the bathroom of his apartment and injuring his back. I suddenly found myself in the position of taking over his life because of his deteriorating physical and mental condition, and because my sisters were incapable of doing it. Aside from all the emotional issues involved, it’s an organizational nightmare having to do something like that, made all the more difficult by the fact that he hadn’t been keeping very good records for awhile (something he used to be very conscientious about). But the bills had to be paid and someone had to pay them. The appointments had to be made and someone had to make them. Decisions had to be made and someone had to make them.
The task soon became overwhelming, especially keeping track of all my father’s contacts, accounts, bills, appointments, insurance, financial statements, medical info, passwords, etc. I found myself carrying around a bunch of folders in my backpack filled with information, none of it organized very well. I also had a spiral notebook where I kept all my notes and my to-do list, along with more contact info and appointment details and such. Just keep tracking of where I was with establishing my Power of Attorney with all his various institutions was hard enough. When adding in all the other stuff I had to do for him (moving him into assisted living, disposing of his old possessions that he couldn’t bring with him, shuttling him to doctor’s appointments and other places, shopping for him, setting up his computer and getting DSL installed, etc.), you can see why I was quite literally going crazy at that time and ended up with heavy anxiety issues, necessitating medications (which I am now thankfully off) and a therapist. And of course in the midst of all that, I still had to deal with work and all the things I had to get done for myself. My life didn’t stop just because I was taking over his. I was spending hours on the phone every day dealing with his issues and some days I just didn’t know where my head was at.
I started thinking to myself that there must be some easier way to handle this flood of data. I’m a tech/computer person, right? I should be able to come up with something. So I started looking into personal organizers and PDAs. I never thought of myself as the kind of person who would get any use out of a PDA; it just seemed like a toy, or like something someone would use to look more important than they are. I didn’t think I had enough data in my life that I would need to keep track of it outside of my head. But that was quickly changing and I knew I had to take the plunge. It wouldn’t hurt to try, right? So after doing a little research, I bought an entry level Palm PDA, the Palm Z22. It was cheap. And oh so tiny and cute. I could easily carry it around in my pocket at all times. Within a month, the little device had become indispensable. I was already able to leave some of my folders and notebooks at home every day, as the information I needed from them was stored in my miniscule Mother Box. I started feeling like I was getting back a little bit of control over my life.
But as nice and useful as the Z22 is, it’s limitations soon began to annoy me. It truly is an entry level PDA and it’s mostly marketed to technophobes and women (I know that sounds sexist of me, but just take a look at Palm’s marketing). The screen is small and low resolution, which is a problem for me with my post-LASIK reading-glass-needing eyes. Worst of all, you’re stuck with 32MB of non-expandable memory, and I was using that up fast. There is a lot you can fit into that, but once you start filling it up with applications and eBooks and long memos outlining interactions with various institutions, you get near that limit pretty quickly.
So I looked into upgrading. I didn’t know if I should buy a smartphone (thereby eliminating the need to carry both a PDA and a cell phone), switch to something on the Windows Mobile platform (which might be more compatible with my existing PC world), or to stick to the Palm realm (so that my existing Z22 applications and data could be easily ported). I eliminated the smartphone idea fairly rapidly, since most of them didn’t seem to have easy data entry access (I like the PDA’s touchscreen) and they didn’t seem as robust (fewer applications). Also, I don’t carry the PDA with me all the time, though I do need the cell phone with me at all times, for both work and personal reasons. I like my sleek little RAZR phone and didn’t really want to carry around something bulkier. So then it came down to Windows or Palm. In the end, I decided to stick with Palm, since it’s what I knew and because of my existing data and applications. I upgraded to the Palm T|X, which was one step above the Z22. And I’ve never looked back.
In addition to everything the Z22 does, the T|X also: Has a bigger screen with high resolution, has 128MB internal memory and an SD card slot for expandability up to 4GB (currently), plays digital music files (through headphones or built-in speaker), plays video, has MS Word/Excel compatibility, has Bluetooth and WiFi and Internet connectivity. All for under $300. But of course, once you start adding applications, memory cards, cases, etc., the costs pile up a bit. I bought a 1GB SD card for it very cheap, and that’s been more than enough extra space for now. The only thing I don’t like about it over the Z22 is its size. It will still fit in my pockets, but it’s bulkier. That’s not a big problem in the winter, when I can put it in a coat or jacket pocket, but I can see it’s going to be an issue this summer.
Happy Ending Time. These days, things are mostly on autopilot where my dad is concerned (until the next crisis*), and I have the Palm to thank for that in some measure. Once everything is set up with all the various companies and institutions (the hardest part was getting his long term care insurance to pay up for his assisted living), then the day-to-day routine becomes much easier. But there’s still a lot to keep track of. I’ve grown addicted to the PDA and can’t imagine functioning without it now.
* – Which is probably doing his income taxes.
Tomorrow: Just what exactly do I use this PDA thing for and what applications are installed?
Latre.
P.S. Even though the title says something saved my life last year, it was someone who made that life more fulfilling and worth saving. She’s the big reason I’m in a healthier, happier place these days. Yeah, yeah, I know that being my dad’s caregiver (one degree removed as it is) is supposed to be fulfilling and worthwhile on its own, but I’ve been down a similar route before and was hoping to not have to go through it again.
P.P.S. Anyone interested in a Palm Z22?
Comments
9 Responses to “Something Saved My Life Last Year”
February 23rd, 2007 @ 8:30 am
yeah ,,i am,,,,
congrats roger….
now help get ME organized….LOL
February 23rd, 2007 @ 9:56 am
P.S. Even though the title says something saved my life this year, it was someone who made that life more fulfilling and worth saving. She’s the big reason I’m in a healthier, happier place these days.
Brtiney? Cuz she puts all your problems in perspective?
February 23rd, 2007 @ 9:58 am
Brtiney? Cuz she puts all your problems in perspective?
I think my rehab would last longer.
Poor Brit… she’s gone Tom Cruise Crazy. We just can’t imagine the problems that her ilk must contend with.
February 23rd, 2007 @ 1:06 pm
Everybody has problems. People on either end of the financial scale too often find it most expedient to deal with them chemically; it’s the folks in between with “lives” and “careers” to maintain who frequently have more complicated choices to make. Therapy or gadgetry, it all costs money…
February 23rd, 2007 @ 3:49 pm
Congratulations on your new-found peace. You’ve earned it.
February 23rd, 2007 @ 5:33 pm
Did you show me that gadget a few months ago, I can’t remember?
I think I had it with me (as always), but I don’t think I showed it to you.
February 23rd, 2007 @ 5:10 pm
I’m glad you have things pretty well sorted out now and have someone special in your life. That’s a pretty powerful one-two punch.
Palms are great. When I worked at Quantum and was flying 50K miles a year mine really kept things organized. It’s so convenient to have all ones contacts, notes and schedule always available like that. Unfortunately, I ran into several technical issues I didn’t take the time or money to solve and now I’m back to disorganization (at least when I’m out of the house away from my laptop
)
Did you show me that gadget a few months ago, I can’t remember?
February 23rd, 2007 @ 10:42 pm
Good to hear things are going relatively well. I know last year things were pretty rough – I think I didn’t really grasp how rough at the time. But I’m glad both technology and actual humans both have come through for you – Lord knows you deserve it.
February 23rd, 2007 @ 10:53 pm
Thanks for all your good wishes, guys & gals! I’m definitely in a very good place right now and it’s partly due to the support of good friends like yerselves.