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  Friday, February 01, 2002


And now from the mailbag...

THE TOUGHEST DECISION:

SHOULD MY LOVED ONE BE PLACED IN AN ASSISTED COMPUTING FACILITY?


For family members, it is often the most difficult and painful decision they will  face: to accept that a loved one - a parent,  a spouse, perhaps a sibling - is  technologically impaired and  should no longer be allowed to live  independently, or come near  a computer or electronic device without  direct supervision. The time has come to place that loved one into the care of  an Assisted Computing Facility. But you have questions. So many  questions.

We at Silicon Pines want to help.

WHAT EXACTLY IS AN "ASSISTED COMPUTING FACILITY"?


Sometimes referred to as "Homes for the Technologically Infirm", "Technical Invalid Care Centers," or "Homes for the Technically Challenged," Assisted Computing Facilities (ACF's) are modeled on assisted living facilities, and provide a safe, structured residential environment for those unable to handle  even the most common, everyday multi-tasks. Most fully accredited ACF's,  like Silicon Pines, are an oasis of hope and encouragement that allow residents  to lead productive, technologically relevant lives without the fear and  anxiety associated with actually having to understand or execute the  technologies themselves.

WHO SHOULD BE IN AN ACF?

Sadly, technology is advancing at such a dramatic rate that many millions, of all  ages, will never truly be able to understand it, putting an undue burden on  those friends and family members  who must explain it to them. But unless the  loved one is suffering from a truly debilitating affliction, such as  Reinstallzheimers, the decision to commit is entirely personal.

You must ask yourself:

"How frustrated am I that my parent/sibling/spouse is unable to open an e-mail attachment?" "How much of my time should be taken up explaining how RAM is  different from hard drive memory?"  "How many times can I bear to hear my dad  say, 'Hey, can I replace the motherboard with a fatherboard? Ha ha  ha!'"

To make things easier, we have prepared a list of Warning Signs, which we encourage you to return to often, or, if you can't figure out how to bookmark  it, print out. Also, please take a moment to read "I'm Glad I'm in Here! - A  Resident's Story."

MUST IT BE FAMILY, OR CAN I PLACE ANYONE IN AN ACF?

Several corporations have sought permission to have certain employees, or at  times entire sales departments, committed to ACFs. At present, however, individuals can be committed only by direct family or self-internment. The reason is simple: there are not nearly enough ACFs in the world to accommodate  all the technologically  challenged. For example, there are currently only 860,000 beds  available in ACFs, but there are 29 million AOL users.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

ACF rents range from free up to $12,500 per month. The disparity is currently a  point of contention in the ACF industry. Many residents are covered through  government programs such as Compucaid or Compucare, but reimbursement rates are  low and only cover a portion of the fees.  Exacerbating the situation are the HMOs (HelpDesk Maintenance Organizations), which often deny coverage, forcing residents to  pay out of pocket or turn to expensive private techcare insurers such as BlueCache/BlueScreen.


Offsetting the costs are technology companies themselves, many of which subsidize ACFs. Firms such as Microsoft, Dell, Qualcomm, and America Online will  pay up to 100 percent of a resident's monthly bill, but there is a catch. ISPs,  for instance, require residents to sign service contracts lasting a year or  more. Microsoft, meanwhile, prohibits the installation of any competitive  software, while Priceline requires that residents buy shares of its stock, which  seems onerous but saves residents on lavatory tissue.

HOW OLD MUST I BE TO HAVE SOMEONE COMMITTED?

Until very recently, you had to be 18 or older to legally commit a family member.  However, the now famous British  court case Frazier vs. Frazier and Frazier  has cleared the way for minors to commit their parents. In that  case, 15-year-old Bradley Frazier of Leicester had his 37-year-old parents  committed to an ACF in Bournemouth after a judge ruled Ian and Janet Frazier were a  "danger to themselves and the  community." According to court  records, Bradley told his  parents about the I LoveYou virus and warned them not to click attachments, then the next day his parents received  an I  LoveYou email and clicked on the attachment because, they
explained, "it came  from someone we know."

WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR IN AN ACF?

First, make sure it's a genuine Assisted Computing Facility, and not an Assisted  Living Facility. To tell the difference,  observe the residents. If they look rather  old and tend to openly discuss bowel movements, this is probably  'assisted living.' On the other hand, if they vary in age and say things like, "I'm  supposed to figure that out? I'm not Bill goddamned Gates you know!," this is probably  'assisted computing.'

Also, at a well-run ACF, residents should lead full, independent lives, and should be allowed the use of many  technology devices, including telephones,  electric toothbrushes, and alarm clocks. However, only a facility's Licensed  Techcare Professionals (LTPs) should perform computational or technological tasks  such as installing programs or saving email  attachments. And LTPs should NEVER answer  residents' questions because studies have shown that answering user questions  inevitably makes things worse. Instead, residents should simply have things done  for them, relieving them of the pressure to "learn" or "improve."

CAN A RESIDENT EVER GET OUT?

No.

OK, THIS SOUNDS PROMISING. HOW CAN I LEARN MORE?

For your enlightenment, we offer extensive information on Silicon Pines and the ACF lifestyle, which can be found by  clicking one of the links in the navigation  bars found at both the top and bottom of this page. But whatever you decide,  keep in  mind that due to demand, ACFs now have long waiting lists. WebTV & AOL users  alone will take years to absorb.

We look forward to your response.

Thank you.


12:40:42 AM    



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