Spam Calls, Grocery Lists, and Emotional Stamina: Modern Caregiving in a Techy World

Show Notes Summary:

In this packed episode, Barry and Bobby return after a short break to dive into the tangled world of caregiving, tech hacks, and emotional resilience. They cover everything from fighting spam FaceTime calls to getting an elderly parent started with grocery lists on Apple Reminders. They share hilarious, frustrating, and heartwarming stories about remote troubleshooting, smart TVs that are too smart, and the never-ending battle with streaming apps and internet issues. The second half shifts to real talk on emotional bandwidth, perfectionism, and the importance of picking your battles as a caregiver.

 

Show notes and resources are here:  https://bit.ly/caretechandtips-resources 

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⏱️ Timestamps:

0:00 – Welcome back! Life happens.
0:30 – Bobby's spam call/FaceTime tip roundup
2:30 – Phishing texts and suspicious FaceTime spam
4:00 – Barry’s dad learning to avoid scams
5:00 – How to block spam FaceTime and texts
6:00 – Barry’s dad asks about grocery lists (!?)
6:45 – Using Apple Reminders for smart grocery lists
7:45 – Voice entry and Siri integration tips
8:30 – Sharing grocery lists with loved ones
9:30 – Faint clock display on iPhone lock screen fix
10:30 – iPad nightstand/clock setup hacks
12:00 – Battery-saving shortcut when iPad is idle
14:00 – Charging routines and iOS power management
15:30 – Barry’s ongoing battle with cell signal quality
16:45 – AT&T Air placement voodoo solved
17:30 – Entire cell tower outage (!), how Barry troubleshot it
18:45 – Bits vs Bytes: A speed and connectivity primer
20:30 – Cellular internet pros, cons, and fiber upgrades
22:00 – Why streaming holds up better than calls
23:30 – TCP/IP, latency, and interactive vs passive traffic
25:00 – Bobby’s saga with his mom’s Amazon Smart TV and Spectrum
26:00 – Barry’s thoughts on restricting purchases and remote control chaos
29:00 – Finite self-control and caregiver burnout
31:00 – Tips for stepping back when your emotional tank is empty
33:00 – "Do I have the stamina for this right now?" – a question worth asking
34:00 – Expectations vs reality and letting go of perfection
35:00 – Wrapping up: therapy for them and for us

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Key Topics:

• How to block spam FaceTime and unknown text messages

• Setting up Apple Reminders grocery lists for elders

• Custom iOS shortcuts for simplicity

• Solving faint clock bug on iPhone

• iPad battery-saving automation using Shortcuts

• AT&T Air interference and cell tower troubleshooting

• Streaming vs calling: why one often works while the other fails

• Caregiver burnout and setting emotional boundaries

• Smart TV challenges with legacy cable habits

• The curse of complex remotes and maintaining control

• When it's okay to punt the problem to tomorrow