Do pensioners sit down watching television too much.

This might answer your question jingle

www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jul/29/watching-tv-computers

I have git a licence btw. before you send the man round.

do you have to have a licence for a laptop ? you could watch live tv on that. how would they know?

My sister doesn't have a television, the detector van has rung the doorbell many times. My sister invites them to have a look round the house, feel free to open cupboards and so on. She buys boxed sets of TV series and watches them on a DVD player. I could happily live without our TV but DH would miss the news and football.

Ooh - watch out Goose, they'll be onto you!

anything that's worth watching can usually be seen online (eg: iplayer) so it seems a bit pointless forking out for a TV license :-)

My elderly friend (85) is mostly housebound and she doesn't have a tv, in the Summer she occupies herself in the garden and in the Winter she does puzzles and quizzes , reads listens to the radio and does small projects around the house, like cleaning out a cupboard or orgainising her kitchen.. she keeps herself occupied one way or another and is as sharp as a tack.

I never watch daytime telly but because I'm on my own I will watch it in the evening sometimes if there's anything worth watching, but more often than not I watch in bed late at night or in the wee small hours when I can't sleep - you wouldn't believe what rubbish is on in the night! (apart from BBC4 which is very good). What else are elderly, housebound pensioners to do if they have to sit all day and are unable to read or do normal household activities? TV is a diversion, but I agree it does make you zombie like after a while

I think its the sitting down rather than the watching too much tv that contributes to health related issues. Keep moving is my motto OH is always asking me why I never sit still for more than 5mins, I'm quite happy listening to the tv whilst pottering .. OH can't be in the house without the tv on so everyone is different I guess.

O'h. I have just had a phone call asking me to take a more distant relative to the hospital.
An appointment has come up for her granddaughter and mother at the same time at hospitals 14 miles apart.
I have offered to take the grandmother as I know more about the medical history even though it is further for me to travel.
The mother is very happy with this arrangement.

Fank

I never turn mine on before 7.30pm, I have Radio 4 on. We only have 1 TV, that is in the sitting room and I don't even go in there until after supper!

I cope quite happily without a TV - so it looks like I'll be dodging dementia! (interesting correlation in the article though)

You have got to remember that sometimes the TV is the only company that some people who are alone have, maybe they dont have family that can drop in often through the day or even weekly.

They are probably thinking of people much older than you HUNTERF .

I don't think we pensioners should all be lumped together in thatbway.

I do watch too much tele some days though

this one doesn't. can""t find anything worth watching on a regular basis.