• Vision impairment and blindness
  
  
• Arthritis and other physical difficulties
  
  
• Stroke (loss of speech and mobility)
  
  
• Memory loss. There are many methods employed to help someone who has difficulty remembering things.
  
  MEM-X is a VOCAL MEMORY AIDE allowing people to cope with frequent memory related issues (due to Alzheimers, Pakinson's - or just old age), when too many things must be remembered. MEM-X is a device to assist, support, and ultimately reassure elderly people. There is only one button on the front to press. The programming buttons are reached by opening a hinged door at the back. Can store up to 90 messages of 10 seconds in length.
  
  
• Silver Surfers - IBM helps seniors shop online (watch the video)
  
  

  The world's population has never been older, according to IBM. In fact, 20% of the U.S. population will be over 65 by 2030. IBM has been helping Mitsukoshi, one of Japan's leading retailers, to take advantage of what they see as a unique opportunity. They have already helped Macy's and Bloomingdales make their websites more accessible to the elderly. Go to original article and video . . .

  
  
  
• Microsoft's guide for aging computer users
  Discover How to Make the Computer Easier to See, Hear, and Use

Ten Tips for the Awkward Age of Computing

A Screen Too Far
Enlarge		Do you find yourself fighting the urge to press your nose against the screen because you can't see text and objects clearly? Windows XP and Microsoft applications offer several options that can help, from changing your monitor display settings to increasing the icons or text size of individual documents and Web pages. Review the tutorials: Windows Vista: Change the size of text and icons, Change screen resolution, Zoom in on a Web page, Change text size on Web pages Windows XP: Use large icons, Increase or Decrease the Font Size of Web Pages Displayed on Screen
Built-in Bifocals
Enlarge		Having trouble seeing things that are close up? Around age 45 for most people, eyes start to lose the ability to adjust their focus to see objects that are near. Microsoft Magnifier, one of the accessibility features in Windows XP, opens a floating window that enlarges different parts of the screen—just like a magnifying glass. Review the tutorial: Windows Vista: Make items on the screen appear larger (Magnifier) Windows XP: Turn On and Use Magnifier
Lights, Camera, Action
Enlarge		If stiff joints or other dexterity issues are slowing you down, try using the speech recognition features in Office XP and Office 2003 to combine voice commands and dictation with mouse and keyboard commands for a more flexible work environment. Review the tutorial: Windows Vista: Start Speech Recognition Windows XP: Installing and Training Speech Recognition
Tune Out, Tune In
Enlarge		Are you having trouble hearing email alerts and other audible notifications of system events? With SoundSentry, you can make parts of your screen flash whenever a system sound occurs. To "see" speech and other sounds, use Windows XP to display closed captions. Review the tutorial: Windows Vista: SoundSentry: Turn on visual notifications for sounds Windows XP: SoundSentry: Turn on visual notifications for sounds
Talk to Me
Enlarge		If your vision is beyond the point where magnification is enough, Narrator in Windows XP can help by converting text and captions to speech. If this problem is persistent, you may need a device called a screen reader. Review the tutorial: Windows Vista: Hear text read aloud with Narrator Windows XP: Turn On and Use Narrator
Cursor in a Haystack
Enlarge		If you find yourself searching for your cursor or mouse pointer more often than you search the Web, use Cursor Options to change the size, appearance, width, speed, color and blink rate of your cursor, or the mouse setting in the Control Panel to modify your pointer, to make them easier to see. Review the tutorial: Windows Vista: Change what the mouse pointer looks like, Change pointer settings including motion and visibility, Change mouse button settings Windows XP: Adjust Cursor Blink Rate and Cursor Width
Losing Your Grip?
Enlarge		Use MouseKeys to transfer mouse functions to your numeric keypad, or try a Microsoft mouse that is designed for maximum comfort. Review the tutorial: Windows Vista: MouseKeys: Control the mouse pointer with the keyboard Windows XP: MouseKeys: Control the mouse pointer using the keyboard
All Together Now
Enlarge		StickyKeys allows you to hit one key at a time to execute commands that usually require simultaneous key combinations, such as using SHIFT to type a capital letter, or CTRL+ALT+DEL to display the task manager. Review the tutorial: Windows Vista: Press keyboard shortcuts one key at a time (Sticky Keys) Windows XP: StickyKeys: Press One Key at a Time for Key Combinations
All Shook Up
Enlarge		If you have a mild tremor or your stiff fingers are creating typos and other keyboard errors, FilterKeys can give you the equivalent of a steady hand by enabling your computer to ignore brief or repeated keystrokes that you make accidentally. Review the tutorial: Windows Vista: Ignore or slow down brief or repeated keystrokes (Filter Keys), Turn on Repeat Keys and Slow Keys Windows XP: FilterKeys: Ignore brief or repeated keystrokes and slow down Repeat Rate
Easy on the Eyes
Enlarge		If the images on your computer screen appear indistinct or don't seem quite as sharp as they once did, choose one of several high-contrast displays to make text easier to read. This is also a great feature if you find that using your portable computer in certain types of light makes text on the screen all but disappear. Review the tutorials: Windows Vista: Change the size of text and icons, Change screen resolution, Turn on High Contrast and change the settings, Change the color and size of mouse pointers Windows XP: Choose screen resolution, Choose a High Contrast color combination to improve screen resolution