How to make seniors more technically savvy

On the way home the other night, I was having a conversation with my 91-year-young mother-in-law wherein she was expressing both pride in her 3-year-old great-grandson and frustration at the same time because he is already more

“Tech savvy” in many ways than she is. It’s not surprising because his generation has been brought up from the cradle with tech toys and it’s just second nature to them. On the other hand, if you’re anything like me you have to try all sorts of gyrations to get the most out of your tech toys and tools (double click this, right click that, let alone two-handed control systems!).

But there’s no turning back. We live in a tech driven society and we might as well come to terms with it. For many of us, our kids are trying to help with all sorts of tools and gadgets given as gifts: Iphone, IPods, IPads, Android smart phones, laptops, electronic book readers, etc. But again, if you’re anything like me, as soon as the wrapping paper is off the box, the kids are out of here and we’re left literally “holding the box” trying to figure out how this thing works.

Sadly, oftentimes that’s the end of it. Another electronic device that has the potential to be a great aid goes into the corner collecting dust. Don’t fret or fear, we at Visiting Angels ® want to come to your rescue.

My daughter-in-law is brilliant at taking sour situations and turning them into sweet solutions. She suggested we put together a new interactive presentation for senior groups called “Ask David & Billy,” who are my two very tech savvy sons and partners in our Visiting Angels ® business. Whenever I have any sort of tech problem, they’re the first ones (and usually the last) to whom I turn to get it resolved.

David carries an Ipad with him wherever he goes to record client needs and transmit them directly into our system to speed the process of getting help to needy clients. No more transposition errors for him. And Billy maintains all our computer systems, does the payroll and provides computer-based orientation and training for all our caregivers, so you can see they’re both well qualified. They can both do more with their smart phones than I can do with my laptop and all its peripherals.

So here’s the plan. If you belong to a seniors group of any kind and you’re looking for an entertaining, fun and informative program, then all you have to do is “Make one call, that’s all” (where have I heard that line before?) to 971-1606 or -1608. What you’ll get is a free tech presentation geared specifically toward seniors and a Q&A session afterward where there’s a guaranteed promise that there is no such thing as a “dumb question.”

In the meantime, I hope that all your bytes are good and your crashes not bad!

Thanks for reading All About Seniors! See you next week.

Bill Milby, CSA, is a Certified Senior Advisor and a Director of Visiting Angels® of Macon, a non-medical, living assistance service for seniors. If you have questions or comments about this column you can reach him at william.mercylink@gmail.com or search for us at www.facebook.com/VisitingAngelsMacon.

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