(Aging Untold) — Technology can help older adults stay connected, manage health and finances and feel safer through tools like home alarms and cameras, but constant changes can make it difficult to keep up.
Sam Cradduck, a gerontologist, said technology should help people stay independent, but it can become overwhelming.
“How do you sign up for Social Security anymore? You have to do it online,” Cradduck said. “You have to be tech enough to do that online.”
Barriers to technology access
Cradduck identified several barriers older adults face with technology, including confidence, skills and access to the internet.
She noted that design elements like tiny fonts can also create challenges.
“I was in the first age group that had a computer in our school,” Cradduck said. “So anybody older than me, when did they get them?” she said about computer skills.
Cradduck said having support and people who can help is important to keep technology from stealing independence.
Resources for learning technology
Amy O’Rourke, an aging expert, said she felt paralyzed when she first needed to accelerate her technology knowledge. So, she called her nephews and nieces for help, and they helped her.
O’Rourke said there are programs to help people learn technology.
“See what’s in your area to help you kind of get past what I was in, which was the paralysis of: how do I learn this new thing?” O’Rourke said.
Here are some of those resources:Staying connected to family
Katherine Ambrose, an aging-well coach, said older adults should stay engaged and call relatives who can help because technology is a lifeline in modern life.
She said some older seniors rely on their children to relay information, but that approach has limitations.
“You’re missing out on photos and family events if you’re not plugged into the family thread where people are sharing all their information,” Ambrose said.
Ambrose said learning new technology is not always fun, but it can help.
She recalled being annoyed when she first learned to text.
“I’m like, quit texting me, just call me,” Ambrose said. “That’s a long time ago. I’m used to it now.”
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