Golden Rules for a Golden Age
I recently visited my grandparents and it was a cold, miserable day. Their house wasn’t particularly warm but when I asked I got the usual “it’s fine for us”. It worried me that they weren’t keeping warm enough. They’re getting on a bit now so they are more vulnerable.
I had a chat with my Mum who said she’d told them to turn the heating up and even offered to help with the bills, all to no avail. When the local news did a program on the effects of cold weather on the elderly, I got really worried. Although Nan is fit and healthy (for an 83 year old), Granddad has been in hospital recently and has had a pacemaker fitted.
It was obvious that they weren’t going to listen to me if I just nagged them to turn the heating up. I knew I could leave that to Mum, she’s an expert nagger! So I came up with a cunning plan. Nan had been really interested in my new iPad and she is no stranger to technology. I decided to give her my old tablet and I installed some word games that I know she enjoys.
Power Through the Internet
Obviously I can’t send them power through their tablet but I can send them some energy saving tips to keep their usage down and help them keep warm. In my own subtle way I’ve told them how to save in areas that won’t affect their health and I’ve told them the importance of keeping warm. Nan emailed me to say how useful they were, so I’ll keep looking out for information that might help them. It’s a useful way to keep in touch and she has the time to read the things I send her without immediately being defensive and ignoring them. Much better than turning up and saying “you should do this…”.That’s a sure fire way of starting an argument.
Not All Old People Are Old
The problem, as I see it, is that not all old people feel old. Nan is a prime example; she’s active and clever. She was one of the original Silver Surfers and has grasped all the new technology. She’s just had a smart meter fitted on her power supply so that she can see what uses the most energy. She’s not some old dear sitting in a woolly hat without the ability to look after herself. She is more than capable of finding things out for herself if she chooses to.
Neither is she some dear old pensioner who can’t afford to turn the heating up. Granddad always paid in for a pension and they are quite comfortable. But all that came at a cost. They’ve always put money by for a rainy day, and still do. It’s just getting them to recognise that it’s raining! I’m sure I’m not the first grandchild who has been told “there’ll be something for you when we’re gone”. It seems that no matter how often we say we’d rather they spent their money on themselves they still feel the need to be frugal. And there lies the problem. It’s not the ability to pay and not even knowing that they should heat the house more, it’s just that ‘old habits die hard’. But at least one of the tips have been noted as Nan just emailed me to say she’s had to buy a new top of the range washing machine – an A-rated one! For ideas to help reduce energy usage and help your family cut costs, there’s a loads over at the npower blog.
Category: Save Energy, Saving Money
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