If you are like me, many of us are classified as a digital immigrant. That is, we did not grow up with computers or electronic devices in our environments. Many of us have learned to adapt as our worlds have become increasingly technology dependent.
Technology has become so commonplace in our lifetimes that we have developed many skills that makes navigating tech second nature.
But that is our generation.
As I recently discovered, making such assumptions about our parents and their generation may not always hold true.
Powering the Past
When you think about it, the generations ahead of us were granted some grace in developing skills for this new tech world. Many of them were exiting the workforce at about the time that word processors were being adopted.
Seems like a long time ago, eh?
Imagine not “doing” email because you did not need it to accomplish your daily tasks. Phone calls and snail mail took care of your basic needs. The newer technology of websites and such were available but not required.
My Mom is one of these individuals who has managed to skirt these tech entanglements.
Until now.
Go To Our Website
The first time an agent told me “You have to go to our website to do that”, I didn’t think anything of it.
I was helping my mom buy a home earlier this year. Apparently gone were the days of “hands-on” agents shuffling papers. Most of the transactions are now virtual.
Problem is mom is in this vulnerable group that technology has left behind. She has no virtual skills and absolutely no interest in developing them.
“Have them send me the papers”, she said.
“Mom, it is all on their website.”
“Oh. Have them send me the papers and I’ll just write a check.”
“…”
Time To Up Your Digital Immigrant Competencies
The business world has obviously done their math and accommodating seniors with the level of technology they prefer is something that can now be skipped. Instead, the seniors are expected to adjust to the technology.
In a world where the only available telephone format are smartphones, yes, seniors will purchase them. Their ability to competently use those phones is secondary.
Most of us who have learned to manipulate modern technology (Internet, email) after mastering earlier forms (typewriters, cursive writing), must watch our assumptions when dealing with folks older than us.
Not everyone is willing or capable of navigating this new tech environment. (Never discount the ability of a senior to dig in their heels and refuse to cooperate.) This places us in a position of teaching new skills to older individuals or acting as agents on their behalf. No matter what the situation, if your skills are not current, now is the time.
Next Steps
Our next steps in addressing this technology learning gap will likely be unique to your caregiving situation.
Technology training geared towards seniors is available in many regions. The solution may be as easy as signing up your senior through your local senior center or community college.
This training idea may also be a useful idea for yourself in case your own tech skills are a little rusty. Technology updates progress at an exponential rate, so knowledge can be outdated in the matter of weeks or months. Or as Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
If you feel comfortable with the situation, you can step in and act as an agent on the senior’s behalf. I used my own email address for Mom’s home purchase and relayed email information to her by phone. A messy solution at times, but it got the job done.
The marketplace is also responding to the need for senior-friendly technology products, albeit on a quiet basis. Senior oriented devices (i.e., phones, tablets) are available and may meet the needs/capabilities of your senior.
For the senior that chooses to not participate in technology, there are some auto-payment options available, and business will grudgingly provide paper billings for common accounts. Much of the current account information will only be available via virtual connections, so caregivers may still need to act on the senior’s behalf electronically. (Don’t forget to execute those Powers of Attorney!) Again, a messy solution but it does address the need of the senior.
Frustration, Inc.
This technology divide can be a significant challenge. The world is going in one direction and leaving individuals behind as most people adopt the new rules of tech behavior. It can be very intimidating also.
The learning curve is not too steep if you are comfortable with learning new information. The rest is our stock-in-trade caregiver skills of creative problem solving. Frustration with situations along the way are normal.
The best solution I have found is talk with seniors and their caregivers in your area. You are likely not trying to solve a unique problem, so someone else may have already found the best answer to your dilemma.
We are all in this together.
“Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
Dad's Back 