The author said handling passwords and other tech support for her aging mother has become a time-consuming responsibility.
Courtesy of Carissa Tozzi.
I really didn't know what caring for an aging parent would be like. After my father died, my mother continued living alone in New York City. She was in her mid-80s and fiercely independent. She managed all her finances, doctor appointments, and dinner dates with her new boyfriend. She loved her apartment, her lifestyle, her friends, and her iPhone 16, and had no interest in ever leaving. Then her health declined dramatically.It became clear that staying alone in Manhattan was no longer safe for her without round-the-clock care, which, financially, was not an option. We decided to move her into an assisted living facility in Connecticut, near where I live. Even though she signed off on the move, she was not happy. I took comfort in believing she would finally have the support she needed with meals, medications, transportation, and daily care. Plus, my son, husband, and I would be able to spend quality time with her.What I didn't anticipate at all was how passwords would make such a big impact on my day-to-day life.Tech has become a huge part of caring for my momWhat should have been a simple task — logging into one of my mom's health insurance accounts (she has five) to access reimbursement forms for a dental procedure — turned into an hour-long ordeal. I had to overcome a forgotten password, a verification code sent to an old email address, and the realization that I would need to get her on the phone with the insurance company so they could authorize me to speak on her behalf.
