Knew caring for my 88-year-old mom would be hard. I didn't expect to spend so much time on tech support.

Caring for her 88-year-old mother was expected to be challenging, but the biggest time sink turned out to be “tech support.” The mother remained independent in New York City into her mid-80s, managing finances and appointments, but her health declined and the family moved her to assisted living in Connecticut. While her caregivers expected help with meals, medication and transportation, day-to-day life became dominated by password and verification hurdles. A simple login to one of five health insurance accounts for reimbursement forms turned into a long process involving forgotten passwords and codes sent to an old email address. Two-factor authentication, plus her inability to set up Face ID due to Parkinson’s disease, forced frequent calls and troubleshooting. The author argues caregiving must include digital access as well as healthcare.