Tech courses available to seniors
A 2015 study by the Pew Research Center found that slightly more than one in four internet users who are 65 or older feel very confident when using computers, smartphones or other electronic devices.
The rest are at risk of living in a digital desert by no fault of their own. The pace of basic technology is so rapid that they can’t keep up with the evolving technological changes underway in our society. Everyday online tasks that are a breeze for younger generations, like booking an Uber, banking online, uploading résumés or searching for affordable housing are confusing for the elderly. This divide creates a troubling paradigm of social and economic isolation for older Americans.
As the former EVP and CFO of Comcast, I consider myself to be fairly tech savvy, and yet I am accustomed to being my husband’s help desk. For example, he took his iPhone and iPad to Greece so that we can easily communicate while he is there making repairs to his ancestral home. He can’t remember passwords and can’t access email. We spoke on FaceTime to solve the problem.
I changed his passwords on the home computer and told him how to change them on the iPad. I didn’t realize there were separate email servers for incoming and outgoing messages and, therefore, he could receive email but he couldn’t send a reply.
I found a friend who was able to help me, but realized through this process that I am not alone. My husband, his friends, my former colleagues and, I suppose, millions of AARP members all are in the same boat. We’re used to being on the cutting edge but, when you’re no longer in the modern workforce, it’s a challenge to keep up with the rapid pace of technology.
A new program offered through the South Florida Institute on Aging (SoFIA) will begin to minimize this technological divide through free technology training for those 60 and older through a program called Senior Planet.
The 10-week courses, which launched in June, will be offered throughout the community to teach seniors how to adopt to technology at their pace and become digitally fluent. Thanks to the Jim Moran Foundation, Consumer Technology Association Foundation, Citrix Systems and the Erwin M. Vazquez Family Foundation Fund of the Community Foundation of Broward, with additional support from Comcast and Wells Fargo, our seniors will no longer be left behind.
Best of all, no one needs a computer to enroll. To find out about joining the sessions they can call 954-484-7117, ext. 105. SoFIA is a Think & Act Tank focused on economic and social research, policy and programs to tackle the toughest social and economic issues of the nation’s aging population. This “act” project promises to strengthen seniors’ social, civic and educational engagement, as well as financial security.