Condolence Messages in WA or Email groups

                               Condolence Messages in WA or Email groups

 We often receive information about somebody’s demise in WhatsApp group or Email group through one of the members. What do we do? We shoot off condolence messages in the group. The messages are intended to console close family members who are bereaved. We say nice things about the departed soul, recalling moments that were pleasant or something that we are grateful for and cherish. Some even go to the extent of eulogising the dead person. Stories recall how good he was and what a great relationship we had etc.  If the initial info contains contact details to convey condolence then some friends who are close, might ring up, call upon the family etc. Rest of us are contended by posting a message, showing they have noted the news.

 However, we do not notice that all such condolence messages just float in the air and are read by your colleagues who need no consolation. The messages won’t reach the family or close children of the dead person unless somebody in the group takes special efforts to collect and forward them to people concerned. I have not seen this happening, al least not to my knowledge. How nice it will be if the person who initially informs the group about the death, takes the responsibility to forward messages? May be, this is too much to expect?

 Are there other means of letting the bereaved know and benefit from our condolence?

 ·       Post a message by mail.

·       Call up a relative who may attend the funeral or memorial meeting.

·       Insert an advertisement in a newspaper.

·       Write an obituary note for a newspaper, newsletter or to a club where he was a member.

·       If you have a lot of shared memories by was of photos, prepare a video file and share.

·       Write a blog post.

·       Organise condolence meet in your group / association.

 

All said and done, don’t just let your message float in the air, serving none.

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Republic Day in Gruhalakshmi Colony

                           Republic Day Celebration in Gruhalakshmi Colony

This year on 26th Jan 2021, the Republic Day Celebration in our Gruhalakshmi Colony was on a low key, as pandemic fear has not yet died. Only executive members plus a couple of others  participated. Intimation rather than invitation was sent by our secretary to all via WA.

In a simple function lasting for about 45 minutes, some 15 of us joined. A short puja to a photo of Mahama Gandhi was done breaking coconuts, garlanding etc. The National flag was unfurled by the president DR P Vyasamoorthy and everyone joined in singing Jana gana Mana in unison, saluting to the flag. 

The president made a brief speech emphasizing how the republic day should be taken as an opportunity to do some introspection, to assess how we have progressed and what further needs to be done. All of us can contribute to the society if not at the national or country level but at least at colony level. 

His speech was inspired by an audio from his friend Sri Sathyamoorthy who had prepared some talk for his own use elsewhere, That audio file is embedded here,

HOPE EK ASHA - Superb caregivers for Alzheimer's Disease patients

 Alzheimer's Disease: Superb Care Givers : Hope EK ASHA

Hope ke ASHA in Delhi is a pioneer is taking care of AD patients. Entire range of services are available.

At Home Care, consultation / Advice, caregiver training, offering caregiver respite, Full time care in their premises - all are available. I came to know about this outfit through UNMUKT Online Expo in Jan 2021.

Please watch the above and several others in their Youtube channel. The website for more info is:http://www.hopeekasha.org/

Comparison of Free Version of Google Meet and Zoom

  

Comparison of Free Version of Google Meet and Zoom

Here is a quick comparison of free version of Google Meet and Zoom for Video conferencing and meetings.

I use both zoom and Google Meet as a host but prefer zoom as a participant! The 40 mts limitation of zoom is overcome by taking a break for five minutes and re-joining. The host can use Personal Meeting ID so that he need not schedule a meeting every time and circulate the link / URL every time. There are lot more things that may be compared. However, some deciding factors like:  whether you are hosting a simple lecture where people listen to, whether it is an interactive participative event; level of familiarity among your audience with the platform, or using the microphone, speaker or video etc; whether they are joining from mobile or laptop etc have to be taken onto account.  Anyway, happy videoconferencing – a thing that has become the new normal which we have to contend with for some more time.

 

SN	Feature	Google Meet	Zoom
1	Available on platforms	Web, Android, iOS	macOS, Windows, Android, iOS
2	Ease of Access	Via Web, Gmail	Via Zoom App
3	Duration*	60 mts up to March 2021	40 mts
4	Video quality	Grainy – poor	Good
5	Host control – mic	No	Yes
6	Local Recording	No	Yes
7	Host re-assign	No	Yes
8	Screen sharing	Yes	Yes
9	Real time captions	Yes	Yes
10	Numb of participants	100	100
11	Numb of tiles on screen	16	49
12	Tiles on screen- size	Uneven sized	Evenly sized
13	Background noise control	No	?
14	Security	AES 256 bit GCM  ??	IETF / DTLS claimed to be Better
15	Calendar Integration	Yes	Yes
16	Familiarity among MY friends	Not much	Yes

 Note: A few items may change over time. Please check at the time of use in case of doubt.

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Why should you mute yourself during webinars?

 

Why should you mute yourself during webinars?

 It is very annoying to all participants when the speaker’s presentation is interfered with extraneous noise. So, you must keep your mike muted and switch it on only when you have something to speak, and perhaps after raising your hand and getting permission to do so. Some reasons why you should mute yourself, just to make you aware of probable local interferences, are listed below:

1.      1.      Some Window shutter may be banging / curtain movements due to wild wind
2.      Some construction or repair work going on nearby
3.      Vendors in the street on their way (nowadays they use loud speakers)
4.      Noisy kitchen nearby – frying, grinding masala etc
5.      TV running in the hall, perhaps a fight of foolish actors
6.      Some body knocking at the door or ringing the doorbell
7.      Landline or Mobile callers
8.      Stray / street dogs chasing and barking
9.      Mom / wife / children yelling at you or at each other among themselves
10.  Servants and your family members in loud chatter
11.  Someone sleeping and snorting away
12.  Yourself yawning unmindfully and unmanageably out of shear boredom
13.  An alarm for the motor pump set or egg timer on its job
14.  Water running in the bathroom
15.  Yourself farting aloud involuntarily

You might be wondering why I am listing silly causes of continual disturbances.  But believe me, most of these, I have experienced my self and are not purely out my imagination. So, beware: mute yourself for your sake and for the sake of others, please. 

 

Why do Senior Citizens Crave to be heard?

WHY Do Senior Citizens crave to be heard?

 

Three old men were taking a walk one fine day in July.
One remarked to the other, "Windy, isn't it?"
"No," the second man replied, "It's Thursday."
And the third man chimed in, "So am I. Let's have a coke."

 

Despite such severe hearing problems, senior citizens crave to be heard. They just want to talk to someone. I envy people who prefer to be alone and enjoy their own company. Such wise guys need no others to make them happy. This is an excellent trait to be cultivated seriously. It will be most useful to senior citizens. Older persons are most likely to be left alone with no one even to talk to. Many elders crave to be heard.  This is a pathetic situation. Can we do something about this condition?

 

We can tackle this issue once we know the reasons for the craving senior citizens have for having someone to listen to them.  As one ages, friends leave one by one. Siblings and other relatives also die sooner or later. Children and others at home have no time or interest in elders. They are busy in their own world. There is a severe mismatch in the interests of the young and old groups. Retired persons  have no captive listeners they used to enjoy when they were employed or otherwise in power.  They are afraid of their own company and have not learnt the art of being alone and enjoy it. A sense of emptiness and despair starts gnawing the soul. They have no one to turn to either for talking, sharing ideas and worries.  As old people often repeat the same old stories, listeners tend to escape being caught. Oldies can not much talk of future as that is bleak and sealed. Youngsters, on the other hand, are more interested in discussing current happenings and guessing and gossiping about people and immediate future.

 

This craving may either be catered to or simply shunned.  Nowadays many senior citizens organizations and counseling centers are offering free listening services to the elderly.  PESU service of Society for Serving Seniors, Secunderabad is an example. PESU is an acronym for "Personalized Ear-lending Services Unlimited".  Volunteers from PESU listen to lonely senior citizens over telephone during pre-arranged timings.  Another organization, Support4grief, located in many cities, operates a Help line that provides free, anonymous, unconditional, non judgmental and a confidential listening ear to the needy. Here the beneficiary need not be senior citizens, though many seniors find it useful.

 

Joining clubs or associations or going to Day Care Centers may alleviate the problem; however, all may not be able use these services because of distance, time and costs involved.

 

Learning to come to terms with reality – that loneliness and having no companions is something to be faced bravely and it strikes many in old age – is the best way to handle it. What can not be cured has to endured, as the saying goes.  Many seniors do manage being alone boldly and beautifully. Why not you?