 Ankur N. Patel, M.D., M.S., speaking with Russ from Camas, WA via teleconference. Watch for a future interview on our blog, The Buzz. by Russ Alman, Communications Director --
My column this month is a bit personal to me, but I wanted to share this story so that perhaps I can help other seniors — and younger people too — address an important health issue that often goes undiagnosed or ignored. I have sleep apnea. And it’s actually pretty severe. Back in 2014, I was diagnosed at the Confluence Health Sleep Studies Center. Doing an in-clinic sleep study involves an overnight stay in a private suite, hooked up to a bunch of wires and monitors so that technicians can record how many obstructive apnea events occur per hour.  by Russ Alman, Communications Director
One of the frequent questions I receive from Foothills Community Center (FCC) members is what to do with their old electronic devices. Most of us now have a drawerful of old cell phones, music players and mismatched batteries, plus old laptops and TVs in a closet or on a garage shelf. You may not have disposed of them because you are not sure where to bring them, or you might be concerned about someone accessing the information stored on them.  Swipe text, also known as “Slide To Type” on iPhones, allows you to drag your finger from one key to the next while the phone predicts what word you are trying to create. This above illustration demonstrates Microsoft’s variation on this technology for their SwiftKey keyboard software, which can be installed on both Android and iPhone smartphones. by Russ Alman, Communications Director
One of the frequent complaints I hear from people over 50 is their frustration with the keyboards on their smartphones. I’m over 50 too, and I have to agree: As much as I like all of the tools my smartphone puts in the palm of my hand, the virtual keyboard is a constant source of irritation. I have fat fingers and not the most dexterous person, and I frequently find myself typing the same mistakes, like hitting the backspace key instead of the M key. And frankly, autocorrect is a joke.  Russ Alman attended a MyChart training in February held by Confluence Health and the NCW Tech Alliance. by Russ Alman, Communications Director If you are a patient in the Confluence Health system, you have likely been contacted and/or encouraged to use MyChart. While some seniors I have talked to have embraced this tool, there are quite a few others that have yet to give it a try. Some didn't receive or lost their login information; others are intimidated by the technology, and some insist that since they've done it "the old-fashioned way" for years, they don't want to change. As a certified MyChart trainer, I'd like you to consider the huge benefits from taking the time to leverage is valuable tool. Here are just some of the reasons MyChart is worth the effort:
 Once we’ve distributed your new FCC keytags, you'll check in at this kiosk when you enter the building. The touchscreen will also allow you to register for classes and RSVP for lunch. by Russ Alman, Communications Director
This month’s Tech Tips column is going to be a bit piecemeal, but I have a few items that I’d like to share, mostly centered around technology updates we've been making to Foothills Community Center.  Same website but new name. We've changed our domain name to foothillscenter.com and updated our branding, but most of the content of the website remains intact. By Russ Alman, Director of Communications and Development Over the next couple of weeks, you'll see us transition to our new name, Foothills Community Center. In addition to new signage, business cards and brochures, there is a seemingly endless number of other items — both print and digital/online — that need updating. We'll do this as quickly as we can, but there will likely be some stragglers that will take a while to track down.
 By Russ Alman, Director of Communications
Like most people, I tend to do the majority of my financial giving during the holidays. And as a techie person, I almost always do it online.  If you and the people with whom you want to place a video call are all using Apple devices, then Apple’s Facetime software is the easiest option. (photo courtesy Apple) by Russ Alman, Communications Director Earlier this year, I was enjoying a video call with my two-year-old granddaughter, Naomi, and my daughter, Alexis, remarked that she has to make sure to keep her iPhone locked because Naomi has figured out how to access the camera. Just as she said this, Naomi grabbed her iPhone and ran off with it. I continued to see an interesting angle of Naomi as she held the phone below her chest and toddled across the room. I would have laughed harder if the wobbling view of her nostrils hadn't started to give me vertigo. I have affectionately named this view “NaomiCam.” This has gotten me to thinking... Naomi's generation is the first that would never know a time when you couldn't pick up a computer device and instantly connect with anywhere in the world by video call. My daughter and her family live in Yakima, and I can say with confidence that I have spent more time interacting with my granddaughter though live video than in person. Without the convenience of video calls, I would only be able to interact with her “face to face” when there was time to make the four-hour roundtrip. But thanks to video calls, she is just a button press away. Similarly, my son, Aaron, has been living in South Korea for the past 5 years, and while he can only rarely make it back home, we regularly video chat. The most difficult part of arranging a call is accommodating the time difference since Seoul is 16 hours ahead. Other than that, the call quality is just as good as it is to Yakima. While my son is in his late 20s and does remember a time before video calls, he doesn’t remember a time before cell phones. Or the internet. Or email. Or cable TV. (I am old enough to remember.)  At the other end of the spectrum, this fall I helped my mom and dad move from western Montana to Wenatchee. It took some patience, but I was able to get my 80+ year-old parents proficient enough with video calling that I could give them a live walkthrough of their new apartment, show them furniture and supplies that I bought, and tour the retirement community with them so that they were already familiar with the layout of the facility before they got here. We even did group calls with my brother in Minneapolis so the whole family was in the loop.
In each generation, new technology comes along that supplants previous tools. We have gone from smoke signals and semaphore to live video in less than 200 years, and each successive generation will continue to see more advanced and interactive communication tools. For those of you who have not yet made a video call, I encourage you to give it a try. Any smartphone, tablet or laptop manufactured within the last 5 years should meet the requirements. The only confusing part will be deciding on which platform to use. Unlike something like email, which uses a universal standard that can be read with any email application, video calling is generally application specific. In nontechnical terms, that means that all the parties involved in the call must be using the same software. It would be nice if all the companies that make video chat software would agree on one standard, but don't expect that anytime soon. If you and the other person/people you are trying to communicate with have iPhones, iPads or other Apple products, then you can use Facetime, Apple's proprietary application. If, on the other hand, your partners are using different brands of devices like Android phones and Windows-based laptops, then everyone will need to agree to use one application. For personal calls, I use Messenger (made by Meta/Facebook) because it's widely used and dependable. Anyone who uses Facebook will likely have this software already installed. There are many other video platforms out there, including WhatsApp, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom to name a few, but for personal use, I recommend sticking with ones that are likely to be most widely used and designed for simple one-on-one or small group calls. Whichever software you use, I promise you that the first time you make a video connection with a loved one or a friend you haven't seen in person in a long time, you'll understand why video chat has become so popular. It will be worth the effort.
by Russ Alman, Communications Director One of the questions I’m frequently asked by members of the Senior Center is what type of computer to buy—Mac or Windows, laptop or desktop.
Now that Windows 10-based computers are considered “end of life,” those of you who have older Windows-based computers are faced with upgrading to a newer computer in order to have a supported operating system.  by Russ Alman, Communications Director Update: The Buzz is now on the air! Please visit this link for more information. Many of you are aware that I have an extensive background working with technology. Thanks to my father’s interest in amateur radio — he is KO8T and I am KZ8F — I was exposed to technology at 9 years old, a very early age for someone in my generation. My dad bought our first computer in 1981 (a TRS-80 Color Computer) and I’ve had access to a home computer ever since.
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