Putting in the effort to dress in the way one has come to think is appropriate for appearing in public is a form of self-care. For some people, from certain generations or cultures or who have adopted the habit to their identity, that may be more formal or elaborate than for others.
That a person of an advanced age, possibly suffering some mental decline still does this is a great thing, and very good for their well-being.
Not mine, but I knew a guy in high school who did this and I think it's ripe for someone to steal. He would frequently add "like the dickens!" to things, the less appropriate, the better. .
I play some music (thru earbuds unless my wife happens to be away). My go to is the Goldberg Variations. I think the reason it works, even though it can be quite busy and fast in some parts is that there is enough complexity to occupy the mind, but enough sameness to lull, and I know it really well.
Sometimes I'll take 1mg of melatonin, and a cup of warm milk with honey.
When your brain explodes out your other ear, you don't want to be getting any in your eyes. Also, its not a plug, it just ties them to the table so you don't steal them.
The devil is in how things are made useful to users who just want to get things done. The problems comes with corporations making decisions about what users should need to understand, and what users want. There's been a lot of dumbing down and manipulation in that process, serving the needs of those corporations and advertisers and not the needs of the users.
Software can be made useful for those who don't want or need to undertand all the details, in a good, non-harmful way. The principle of separation of interface and implementation even demands it. But our society being what it is, that largely doesn't happen, so I'm inclined to agree with your pessimistic take.
It's a fake photograph. It's actually a woodcut cleverly done to mimic one. It's quite good, you can hardly make out the crosshatching.
What it depicts is real though.