Medication reminder goes High Tech and Hip Hop at the same time

[FrankandTeri <lvpgh@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Necessity is the mother of invention... at least that's what I hear.  I thought 
I would share with you all how I put some off the shelf (though outdated) high 
tech components to use in helping to manage my wife medication schedule.  By 
the way I am kind of a tech junkie.

We all know medication lists are no good unless you take them out to read them. 
 Normal pill reminders don't provide you with written or spoken instructions.  
Those that beep can beep forever in a purse or another room where you can't 
hear them.  This is a problem for me and may be for others.

Being a tech junkie I naturally have various components and outdated equipment 
I just can't bear to part with.  Being a person who does enjoy a glass of 
scotch now and then I occasionally ponder life, problems, work, family and 
philosophy while enjoying a glass of scotch in the evening.  From out of no 
where the thought of how to resolve reminding my wife of her medications even 
when I was not home just popped into my brain.  The scotch of course had 
loosened me up enough to determine to resolve this problem with humor and a bit 
of a smile on my face.  Being a tech junkie I had to solve it with technology.  
Little time to lose, the wife was out for the evening...

The resolution came to mind and I could not get it out until I tested it and 
set it up as a surprise for my wife.  If this sounds a bit manic you might be 
right but I try to enjoy life no matter what I'm faced with.  Back to the 
resolution... I remembered I had a spare set of powered computer speakers ( 
available new for anywhere from $10 to $100 ) add to that an old PDA (I can 
imagine you could substitute your computer for the job).  I had upgraded the 
PDA at least twice and could never just throw the old one out.  There had to be 
a way to use these...  The PDA could record various voice messages as well as 
sound alarms and display notes.  The powered speakers could amplify the weak 
PDA sounds so they could be heard all over the house.  There was my answer...

Now for the humor.  I made entries into the PDA calendar for specific times.  
These entries would appear and sound an alarm that would be repeated until 
dismissed.  This worked great.  At each medication time the alarm went off and 
the small PDA lit up with instructions on what medications to take at that 
time.  Worked great but no humor or surprise for the wife.  I then recorded a 
"Rap" song.  I won't share all the lyrics but the first line was "It may be 
Eight... but it ain't to late... it's time to take you pills... (followed  by 
sounds of a needle sliding across a record)".  At five it chants "It may by 
five... that ain't no jive... it time to take your pills."  I set the PDA to 
play the songs instead of the normal alarm.  A different sound or recording can 
be played for each time.  The PDA sat in the living room unobtrusively behind a 
picture on a table.  The speakers sat under the couch, but could be heard all 
over the house.

Later that evening my wife returned from a visit with her daughter.  As planned 
at eight o'clock while she was sitting in another room engrossed in her 
favorite TV show and I working on some project, out of nowhere came my voice 
booming a rap song reminding her and I of her medication.  She came to me with 
a strange look on her face.  I replied before the question was even asked "No 
dear you are not hallucinating again... Breaking into the whole rap  I said 
It's just "time to take your pills."  Needless to say we had a good laugh and 
we still use the system.  It really works effectively.  On occasion it does 
evoke quizzical looks from family and other visitors to our home.  We just 
smile and act like nothing happened.  Bill Gates would have been proud to know 
how we put Microsoft technology to work helping resolve this very personal 
problem.

Frank cg. Teri 52/47/40 15024

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