Continuing on the family communications theme from my last blog, I want to share our experience with a wonderful product that helps family and friends easily communicate with an older adult.  The product and its service is called Presto, and it’s a one-way email product.  Someone (my wife in our case) serves as the manager to allow approved people’s email addresses to send messages and photos to the senior’s Presto email account.  The community can be as large as desired with adult children, grandchildren, friends and neighbors all authorized to send.  This “authorized sender” status eliminates spam and solicitations which is a great value Presto provides in its ongoing service.

At the receiving end is a HP ink-jet color printer with a dial-in modem that has been simplified for ease of use by a senior.  Adding paper is easily done by my mother and father-in-law, both 95, but one of the family changes the ink cartridges when necessary.  The Presto service dials the printer several times a day and transmits whatever is has received.

The result is the “magic” that appears from friends and family whenever it is sent.  My father-in-law has saved every message and picture he has received over the last 2 years (we bought both of them units at Christmas two years ago), and he eagerly awaits new messages.  The same with mother. 

Since My Health Care Manager is independent of all vendors and health providers, we don’t make a penny on the recommendation.  However, the Presto people will include an additional cartridge (HP95) and 2 months’ free service if you order it from www.presto.com/myhealthcaremanager in recognition of our support.