You may or may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but you sure as heck can teach an older adult how to use newfangled technology.
Just ask Leroy and Julia Kayser of East Hampton, who are 95 and 93, respectively, and have been using Zoom and email on a laptop and video chatting on a smartphone to keep in touch with loved ones during the pandemic.
"We are isolated like we're supposed to be" because of Covid-19, Mr. Kayser said by phone last week, so their connections to the outside world are even more important. "We do miss them all physically. We owe them all a big hug. We feel that we are grateful that we have these means of communication because a lot of people don't have them. We feel that's the best we can do for now."
They've also had virtual doctor appointments and they "can ask Alexa about anything else" they need, Mr. Kayser said. And with that statement, of course, his Alexa device perked up.
In 2018, Forbes reported that "although most people don't think aging and technology go together, the truth is that generational interests are changing almost as fast as technology itself is."
Certain barriers to tech fluency, such as small font sizes on smartphones, tablets, or websites, can usually be overcome by switching some settings. But, Forbes wrote, "Perhaps a bigger hurdle is demonstrating to an aging senior that there is a clear value proposition for them that warrants having to wrestle with a new device. In other words, older people want to know what these technologies will do for them. Will this device improve their health, memory, sense of connection, quality of life, or long-term happiness?"
The National Council on Aging says that studies show isolation and loneliness "can put older adults at higher risk for heart disease, dementia, mental health issues, and stroke." The organization recommends email, video chatting, gaming with friends or grandchildren, and online workouts among ways that senior citizens can benefit from technology.
The Kaysers' grown-up children taught them how to use their electronic devices. And for Amelia DePaulo of East Hampton, it was the East Hampton Library's cadre of teenage tech whizzes who taught her how to use her iPad to get on social media. She described them as professional and patient, no matter how many times she had to ask a question.
"They are immensely helpful," Ms. DePaulo said. "I wanted to get onto Facebook and open an account. They helped me with that. They were so savvy."
Kyle Fichtner, a young adult librarian at the East Hampton Library, said the teens get community service hours for helping older adults. He moderates the sessions — which, of course, are themselves online these days — and feels proud of the teens when the concepts click for the older folks.
"The adults are so grateful that they have this. We always solve the problem, too," Mr. Fichtner said. "It's so great. . . . It's hard, this stuff!"
The library's teen tech help program isn't new — it was established about two and a half years ago — but it's pretty popular, he said.
"Some days we're flooded with adults, some days it can be slow, but we're always helping people," Mr. Fichtner said. "We've had more participants coming during the pandemic."
The most frequent inquiries concern tablets, Facebook, Zoom, and ways to access ebooks, he said. The weekly sessions are usually on Saturdays at 10 a.m.
Ms. DePaulo compared the East Hampton Library to a senior citizens community center in general, and said she has benefited greatly from the help she has received.
"I think it's very important that people know how to use this equipment," she said.
Mr. Kayser thinks the same.
"We would feel totally isolated if we had no technical equipment here," he said.
