Posted on 07/11/2006 11:34:40 AM PDT by Incorrigible
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Certain Seniors Embrace High-Tech GearBY MICHELE M. MELENDEZ |
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Gene Gould owns a computer, cell phone, iPod, image scanner and digital camera.
William Gothard doesn't.
Gould is 77; Gothard is 74 -- close in age, but remote in their opinions of modern electronics.
Several factors influence whether an older adult embraces or rejects newer technologies. Either way, it's clear that, as a group, seniors don't fit the common stereotype that they can't keep up with the times.
"There are early adopters, late adopters and non-adopters to new technologies no matter what the age of the person," said Kathy Segrist, associate director of Ball State University's Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology in Muncie, Ind. "What may be interpreted as fear can be a conscious choice to not adopt."
The Washington-based Pew Internet & American Life Project reports that 32 percent of Americans 65 and older go online, compared with 88 percent of those 18 to 29, 84 percent of those 30 to 49 and 71 percent of those 50 to 64.
Researchers believe older individuals may be more inclined to use advanced technology if they have:
-- An education of some high school or beyond.
-- Prior exposure, perhaps through work.
-- Financial security.
-- Confidence in their comprehension of new tasks.
-- Adequate cognitive abilities, including memory and reasoning.
Many times, older adults conduct an internal cost-benefit analysis, researchers say.
Suppose a woman has kept her addresses and phone numbers in a well-worn notebook decorated with doodles and notes spanning years, muses Joseph Coughlin, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's AgeLab in Cambridge. A personal digital assistant -- able to store and organize far more information -- would be more efficient. But learning how it works and transcribing all the entries would be a chore, and she might ask, "Do I really need the grief of going through this?"
For Gothard, of Sciota, Pa., the answer is a strong "no."
Gothard identifies with the Luddites, the 19th century English laborers who destroyed new machinery they considered a threat to their jobs. He takes pride in never having had a driver's license or a credit card.
"I feel you can live a very satisfying life without ever pressing a button on a computer or walking around with your toy cell phone glued to your ear, speaking nonsense," he said.
Gothard, a lifelong artist, would rather be painting in his home studio: low-tech and gratifying.
Meanwhile, Gould, of Sterling, Va., who worked for a computer services subsidiary of Boeing Co. before retiring, feels his gadgets enrich his life.
He uses his iPod -- the popular portable digital audio device -- to play tunes for residents of a nearby retirement community, sometimes using the Internet to find what they request. At a local senior center, he teaches older adults how to restore old photos. He has spent hours touching up his own family snapshots and transferring from vinyl to digital the vast music collection he and his wife of 54 years, Juanita, also 77, have amassed.
"You don't do this unless you enjoy it," Gould said.
Technology can be more than a diversion for older adults. It can keep them connected to friends and family, particularly grandchildren being raised with the Internet. It can help them research answers to health-related questions, remind them to take medication, or alert caretakers if they need help.
In other words, technology can be vital to their well-being, said Neil Charness, psychology professor at Florida State University in Tallahassee and a principal investigator with the multi-university Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement.
When an older adult regards technology with ambivalence or anxiety, Charness wonders, "To what extent is poor design one of the factors?"
Aging can diminish hearing, sight and dexterity. Response times can lag. Some simple adjustments, Charness notes, can make computers easier to operate. Users can set visual warnings to accompany audio alerts, enlarge font sizes and reduce pointer speed.
"As an aging society, we have a stake in adapting these technologies," said Michael Smyer, director of the Center on Aging and Work at Boston College. "How do we assure the best fit between what older adults want to do and can do?"
Among features that may help are voice activation and touch screens.
While teaching at the Boston University School of Medicine, Timothy Bickmore helped develop a program designed to encourage older adults to exercise by taking walks. In a 2003 study, users age 62 to 84 interacted daily for two months with a lifelike animated character on a computer screen set up in their homes.
The character, a racially ambiguous woman named Laura who might have been in her 30s or 40s, verbally asked participants questions about their fitness goals, how they were feeling and how much walking they had done. The participants chose from a list of possible responses by touching the screen. Laura offered words of advice and encouragement. That kind of interface was easy to learn, and walking increased.
"It only took 30 seconds of training to say, `This is just like face-to-face conversation,"' recalled Bickmore, now an assistant professor of computer and information science at Northeastern University in Boston.
Older adults unfamiliar with digital technology may need more time to grasp concepts than a general-admission computer class provides. Senior centers, colleges and other venues host courses specifically designed for older adults.
SeniorNet, an international nonprofit based in Santa Clara, Calif., has taught older adults how to use computers since 1986. Over the years, it has expanded to 240 "computer learning centers" in 37 U.S. states, with some 30 courses on such topics as the Internet and digital photography.
"In some cases, there is just an intimidation factor," said Kristin Fabos, SeniorNet's executive director. An appropriately paced class, with understanding instructors -- often older adults themselves -- can help, she said.
Joan Brandl, 69, of New Cumberland, Pa., faced her fears when she signed up for a recent six-session SeniorNet class on Microsoft Windows.
"I'm afraid if I push the wrong button, I might blow up the place," she said jokingly of her experience with computers.
She wanted to take the class in part to understand what her grandchildren are talking about. When she can't contribute to the conversation, she said, "They look at me like I have three legs."
Sharon Tate, 63, of Des Moines, Iowa, has relied on her children to bring her up to speed. Her oldest son inspired her to start a Web log. She calls herself a "senior citizen blogger."
"I didn't have any other choice; my kids pushed me into it," she said with a laugh. "It usually takes me a little while to pick up things, but once I've got it, I've got it."
July 11, 2006
(Michele M. Melendez can be contacted at michele.melendez@newhouse.com)
Not for commercial use. For educational and discussion purposes only.
My 83 year-old dad is glued to CNBC and one financial website all day.
It took a lot of work to get him to even that point.
I actually touched an I pod about three weeks ago.
I have no use at all for a digital assistant or an I Pod but would sure like a cell phone that I cculd hear when I was running a jack hammer or similar that wouldn't do anything but take and send voice and receive and have a screen that I didn't scratch up so bad that I have to get a new phone every 6 months.
Was just checking out the cell phones.....Cingualar seems to have an easy to read face.
Got an IPOD for the holidays....refused to open the package....sent it back. LOL......don't know what it does, don't want to know what it does.
First, go to Staples and buy them an Easy Button.
"That was easy."
Thanks for the ping!
:-) You're welcome, Alamo-Girl!
I'm dragging my mom into the new world of technology. For Mother's Day I bought her a new Dell computer with the works. I recently bought myself a Treo and I hope to get her comfortable with that concept next. I think it's vital for older folks to move forward and feel comfortable with the changes in technology. It's good exercise for their brains. Use it or lose it!
don't want much, do ya?
"In desperation, I "Asked Jeeves"
My searches to refine.
The reply from him was negative
Not a thing was found online."
You can no longer ask Jeeves. The poor guy has been swallowed up, too.
LOL :-) I certainly did not mean to infer that Grandma was less than technologically savvy
:-) Yes you can. I just did. It routes you to ask.com
You can also search www.teoma.com even though it also routes you to ask.com.
For those who wish to boycott google ;-)
My dad was an early VCR nut. He doesn't want to have anything to do with DVD players.
My biggest problem with Google is when i'm looking for a company they indundate you with secondary suppliers of their products.
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