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New Tools Make New Choices Possible
Surprisingly, many people still don’t realize how easy it is to use a webcam to video chat. Elderly parents near Oceanside can enjoy a live, face-to-face conversation with their children (and, more importantly, quickly growing grandchildren!) across the country or the world.
Of course, some video chat methods are easier than others, and ease of use is critical when you’re trying to help seniors get set up using modern technology. Here are some basic tips to help you get your elderly parents near Oceanside connected with their friends and family via video chat:
Choose the Best Medium
Skype is the most well-known video chat provider. They have really developed their approach, now offering a system that uses a television instead of a computer.
This may be the key for many elderly people who don’t own a computer or aren’t able to use one without assistance. Their headsets, phones, webcams, and other hardware are specifically designed to work with the Skype network.
Gmail offers a great video chat feature, which is compatible with practically any integrated or USB webcam and microphone. There is a short setup process, but after that is complete, starting and managing video chats is just a matter of a few button clicks. If you initiate the call your elderly parents near Oceanside, all they have to do is click the “answer” button.
The Latest New Choice: Google Plus Hangouts
The new Google service called Google Plus offers another choice, called “Hangouts”. If you and your elderly parents in Oceanside or elsewhere have Google Plus accounts (they’re free) and have computers with microphones and cameras, as do most new laptops, then you are all ready to have Google Plus Hangouts!
Make Sure You Have Adequate Bandwidth
Video chat can be more frustrating than anything else if the Internet connection on either side is not fast enough to handle the complexities of live streaming video and audio. It’s usually worth the added cost to go ahead and upgrade to a faster speed. Blocky picture and garbled audio will just convince seniors that the technology is not worth the trouble it is to learn!
Explore the Possibilities
Once you’ve set up your connection, you will begin to discover a multitude of uses for live video chat. Elderly parents in Oceanside can sit in on birthday parties, enjoy virtual tours of a new house, or just spend an evening with family that is far away. More serious tasks like discussing financial matters and medical needs can be more comfortable in a video chat, without phones pressed to your ears. When you and your parents get the details of your process worked out, you will feel a little bit closer to each other even if you can’t spend time in the same room.
