RetirementHomes.com - Online Learning

Why seniors need to be on social media

aadmin — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 12:29:41 +0000

Seniors from all over the world are connecting over the internet and loving it. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Reddit are no longer just the playground of the young.

Have you been putting off creating social media accounts? You are missing out on some of the amazing things the internet has to offer. Read on to see the top 9 ways seniors can enjoy social media.

Keep In Touch With Family

Your granddaughter is always posting pictures of her life. If you stay away from social media, you are keeping yourself out of her life.

Creating an account is fast. Soon, you will see your family’s accomplishments float by on your screen. Also, make sure to try out video calls. You can talk to your grandchildren face to face without being in the same room! Social media makes it easy to stay connected to your family.

Find Long-Lost Friends

You’ve wondered what happened to your college roommate, high school best friend, and your first love. But you never thought you’d see them again. Now with a simple search you can reconnect with those long-lost friends.

Just log in and see what everyone’s up to. Drop them a note and they will see it as soon as they go online. You won’t believe how many friends you will find on social media from the old days!

Make New Friends

Do you wish you had a friend who shared your love of astronomy? Would you love to join a community book club? No matter your hobbies, there is a place on the internet for you. You can find active communities where people share their ideas and stories. Go ahead, just jump into a conversation or two. Soon you will have new friends from around the world.

Follow A Few Of Your Favorite Things

Your favorite businesses and brands are all on social media. Learn when their best sales are by following them on Facebook or Twitter. You never know when they will release a freebie or discount! Check out your favorite bands as well. You can stay up to date on their tour dates and newest songs. Other things you can follow include your favorite authors, politicians, and celebrities.

Create a Support Network

We all need a little help sometimes. On social networks it is easy to find a listening ear or a helping hand. It is a built-in support network of people who care about you. Dealing with as specific problem? You can find empathy and advice from people who have been in the same situation. It is comforting knowing you are not the only one. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Learn Something New

There is an incredible amount of knowledge on the internet. It is a fantastic place to learn. And learning is great for keeping your brain sharp. Start a new hobby, or learn more about your favorite things. Anything you want to know is right at your fingertips.

Share Your Knowledge

You’ve gained a lot of knowledge in your time, so why not share it? You can mentor others in the subjects you know best. You can answer specific questions people ask. Or you can start a blog and write about your life. The internet is the perfect place to share what you have learned.

Be Entertained

There is no shortage of things to do on the internet. There are puzzles, games, TV shows, books, and movies. You can keep up with today’s content or find your favorites from the good old days.With smartphones and tablets you can access your favorite things from everywhere. No more boredom in waiting rooms!

Find Work

Social media is full of opportunities for the retired. Pensioners can mentor others in your field or work part-time. Post your resume online for people to find you, or go searching yourself. You can even work from home. Keep volunteering in mind too – it is a great way to stay busy and it helps out your community.

Social media is the place to be on the internet today. Take a chance on it. You won’t regret being more in touch with friends, family, and the world around you.

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Bridging the Generation Gap for Jewish Seniors

aadmin — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 08:22:31 +0000

Isolation is a key problem for frail, older adults and can reduce their lives into enduring in lonely apartments. Mobility issues or economic problems force millions indoors.

DOROT, a Hebrew word for "generations" is a microcosm of volunteers determined to close the gap. The non-profit organization reaches upwards of 7,000 seniors in Manhattan’s Upper West Side and bordering Westchester County.

It's teleconference service, University Without Walls, enrolls seniors into an exploration of visual arts, music, literature, health, support groups, Judaic studies, and games.

Memories are shared, new skills are practiced, and health is enhanced from the comfort of one’s home. Because the service is available country-wide, University Without Walls, is global. Classes are limited to 15 people for heightened learning purposes.

Volunteer Force Relieves Isolation

Judith Turner – Director of Volunteer Services of DOROT – said that the organization’s mission is to relieve isolation of seniors. Because its services are highly individualized, DOROT maintains a 6,000-strong volunteer force.

Although most of the seniors, volunteers and staff are Jewish, DOROT is open to all denominations. Every senior receives a home session by a staff social worker who develops a personal portfolio. In-home needs and interests are defined for proper response from volunteers.

According to Turner, “the heart and soul of DOROT is our friendly visiting program.” Many volunteers pay weekly visits to older adults for up to a year and most volunteer-senior relationships last for 2.5 years on average. “We’re really about bringing relationships into the home.”

Computer Learning Reduces Isolation

A DOROT specialty is familiarizing isolated adults with computers. Volunteers commit to up to four continuous visits to help with the basic needs of the elderly, including accessing the Internet, setting up Skype, and playing computer chess.

Older adults are assisted with writing memoirs and organizing computer files. “Photography and organizing photo albums are very important to older adults,” said Turner, “and communicating through e-mail.”

Volunteers help seniors get started with audio books, iPod shuffles and iPads. “We even had a 107-year-old man buy his first iPad and get assistance,” Turner giggled.

DOROT was founded in 1976 by Columbia University Graduate students and alumni who sought to help out home bound seniors isolated in their apartments in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

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Octogenarian Finds his Niche with Online Fine Art Marketing

aadmin — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 13:53:20 +0000

Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art – Andy Warhol

If the 20th Century artist had lived to see the coming of the Internet Age he might have branded his website with this quote.

Peter Worsley, an 84-year-old painter from Santa Barbara, CA, has adopted a brand of his own – I paint ordinary people, doing everyday things, at interesting places.

After working 50 years in aerospace and computer marketing, Worsley retired in 1996. Now, a painter, he displays his fine art on a website he created by mastering Dreamweaver.

He advises 21st century professional artists to market their artwork by paying special attention to branding. “It’s the ideal way to rise above the thousands of other artists. A website is indispensable.”

Worsley has found his niche. He opposes traditional Madison Avenue mass marketing as a ‘push’ medium. “Today, inbound marketing is the key.”

He understands the process. His website captures visitor information; he follows up with e-mails in search of potential purchases for his paintings. “Successful artists need to spend a third of their time marketing to maintain their client base; two-thirds of their time spent creating” – the elder artist’s formula for success.

In 2011, the National Endowment for the Arts identified 2.1 million artists in the United States. With so many artists seeking work, these statistics are an incentive to promote online.

After retirement, Worsley wanted to pursue another profession. He discovered he had a talent for painting and meticulously studied under other artists.

He always has been entrepreneurial and has developed a popular newsletter that is automatically distributed to Twitter and on his Facebook newsfeed.

His affinity for social media is heighted by his use of Pinterest. Women are about five times as likely to be on the site as men, the largest difference in gender of any site featured in the PewInternet report The Demographics of Social Media Users – 2012.

“Females are not identified as collectors of art,” Worsley states, “but they are big influencers of art collectors.” He ensures his art work is well-represented on Pinterest and claims success at having his art re-pinned along with their descriptors and links.

The indefatigable artist/marketer knows that it’s never too late to set another goal. He intends to write an e-book on how artists can market themselves in the 21st century.

Paintings in this article are courtesy of Peter Worsley - Fine Art Painter.

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Seniors and Social Media are on the Rise for all the Right Reasons

aadmin — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 07:09:44 +0000

Pew Internet’s release, finding 60% of adults between the ages of 50 and 64 employing social networks, unites with its other major statistic – 43% of adults over 65 hitting the social media trail.

Reading the Tea Leaves

Previous Pew Internet reports displayed that the 50 + demographic had become more in touch with online tools – computers, tablets, cell phones – to utilize social media [Tablet Ownership 2013, June 10, 2013]

Lynn Strickland, Director of Social Media and Outreach for Interactivity Marketing, perceives a growing online market between older adults and Internet businesses.

“Social media is reaching out to older adults,” said Strickland. “Ads on Facebook can drill down to age groups based on their interests.” More seniors, especially with discretionary income, see the value of Facebook’s reviews and promotional discounts.

Seniors In an Age of Yelp

Strickland points to the popularity of review sites like Yelp.com, TripAdvisor.com and Foursquare – actually an app – as contributing to the online flow of older adults sporting smartphones and tablets.

Older adults trust social media because it connects real faces with real names. They can read authentic testimonials about products and services with less reliance on letter writing, phone calls, or personal visits to businesses.

Social Media – The New Employment Path for Older Adults

Networking is an effective way to find a job, especially with the growth of the long-term unemployed and a tight job market for older adults.

The average duration of unemployment for older workers is nearly 50 weeks, far above the 37-week average for the broader workforce, wrote the Huffington Post on April 17, 2013.

Author and Social Media Consultant, Don Power believes that social media offers a possible solution to 55+ unemployment. “It broadens their small circle of friends and introduces them to a new community.”

Twitter for Older Job Searchers

The recent Pew Internet research showed the 50 to 64 year old age bracket climbing from 6% to 13%, from November, 2010 to May 2013. Employment seekers could form a meaningful part of that statistic.

“Twitter provides an avenue to break out of Facebook’s customary loop and to meet new people,” said Power. “It’s Facebook pared-down.” With a 140 character maximum, it’s designed like a social network appealing to seniors’ natural congeniality.

The Twitter Employment Network

Through Twitter, older adults can find workers, owners, and managers of companies. They gravitate towards employment opportunities to find internal people. It’s non-solicitation, an informal introduction.

Employers get to know older adults and when opportunities arise, the familiarity has been established. Older adults create their personal brand awareness to match Twitter job boards.

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Pew Internet has offered statistical confirmation for older adults and businesses to continue to reach out to each other through social media.

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Tablets KO eReaders for Older Adults

aadmin — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 11:38:55 +0000

eReaders became trendy among seniors as compact electronic reading tools, but tablets are poised to take over on the popular and residential front.

Older adults are part of a growing surge in tablets as reported by PewResearchCenter’s Tablet Ownership 2013. According to the report, tablet ownership has grown from 3% to 34% in three years. Although eReaders maintain a slight edge within the older population, that situation is about to change.

PewResearchCenter’s statistics show older adults increasingly going online to e-mail, search the Web, make purchases, bank, read news, and participate in social networking – Generations 2010. Online activity by seniors will create a demand for tablets.

Patric Welch, also known as Mr. Noobie, has assisted many older adults with computer and gadget problems as an educator and on his website, Noobie.com.

He asks seniors, “Is reading books the only thing you want to do with this device?” Once they realize they can e-mail, play games, and build a reading library, they become convinced to choose tablets.

His observations contrast with analysts who predicted the dominance of E-readers for Older Adults.

According to Welch, the tablet satisfies up to 95% of the activities of seniors now utilized on computers. “Computers are losing relevance," he said. “Even a laptop is cumbersome to carry compared with a tablet.”

Tablets are easier for older adults than computers. Their start-up is automatic compared to the slower boot up speeds for computers. Tech-challenged seniors find tablets to be the most adaptable computing tools on the market.

Welch cites his parents: “It’s demanding for my mom and dad to boot up a computer, login, install virus software and backups,” he said. “It’s a real learning curve.”

Older adults can find difficulty in installing new software and navigating a computer. Touching apps on the surface of tablets is easy. Installation is effortless. The tablet takes away the fear of technology.

Tablets have proven to be effective platforms for designed therapeutic music in Alzheimer’s settings streaming spiritual and music audio programs to residents.

An app newcomer to the 55+ demographic is babbel, a language-learning device, from babbel.com. Markus Witte, Founder and CEO said the app goes deep into grammar courses and other language areas. babbel.com, from Berlin, Germany, offers 13 languages including English. Its top languages in the USA are Spanish and French. Other top-ranked learning languages are German, Italian and Portuguese.

Witte said babbel.com doesn’t specifically target senior citizens, but the demographic still constitutes a large portion of its users. Often, older adults utilize the babbel app to refresh a previously-learned language or to train their brain, said Witte. “Language learning is one of the best approaches to staying mentally agile.”

He references his parents as examples of the capability of the babbel app. "My 80-year-old parents are power users.”

A few popular senior apps:

Skype
Crosswords
Luminosity - a brain games app
WebMD - for health information
Med Reminder - a medication tracker
Big Calculator
Dragon Dictation – transcribes verbal language into e-mail

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Facebook boosts brain power in the elderly

aadmin — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:08:31 +0000

Facebook, the social media giant, has found favor with USA researchers as reported in the Australian news.com.au. Results from a recent study suggest that Facebook will help older adults - ranging in age from 68 to 91 - to maintain their brain power.

Group Number One

In the study, pensioners who learned to use the site, performed 25% better in tasks measuring their ability to utilize and monitor working memories. Those who became Facebook friends with those in their training group posted on the social media site at least once a day.

Group Number Two

Pensioners who refrained from utilizing Facebook kept an online diary with private entries but no social sharing.

Group Number Three

This group was kept on a waiting list for Facebook training.

The eight-week study involved a series of questionnaires and psychological tests measuring levels of loneliness, social support, and cognition. Facebook learners performed around 25 % better at mental abilities than at the study's start.

Participants in the other groups saw no significant change in performance.

Researchers from the University of Arizona, said the complex nature of Facebook's interface was the reason for the social networkers improved performance. Facebook's social nature gave it the edge over the other control groups.

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More seniors are finding love online

aadmin — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:43:23 +0000

With Valentine’s Day behind us, it’s pretty incredible to consider the amount of love was spread by means of technology. Whether it was a love note email between husband and wife, a Happy Valentine’s Day e-card to a close friend, or a smiling photograph sent over an instant message or Facebook, there are certainly a lot of ways people share their love using digital gadgets.

There are other ways you can use technology to inspire you on Valentine’s Day, or any other holiday for that matter. For instance, Pinterest is popular because it provokes creativity in its users. Pinterest is an inspiration board tool available for free where people around the world share crafts, art, baking, photography, and other creative projects that encourage viewers to create something themselves. My wife always appreciates when I make her something, rather than buy it. Getting ideas from Pinterest makes my creative juices flow.

You can also plug into technology to get a traditional gift for your loved one. Sending someone a card or bouquet of flowers can be done in a matter of minutes with a few clicks of a mouse, or taps on your tablet’s screen. 1800flowers.com is one of the more popular web services for this kind of gift. And it doesn’t stop there. You can also send someone baked goods, gift baskets, and candy! The best part is you can order these things at any time of day or night, so it’s great for procrastinators that wait until the last minute. Remember though; don’t use free public WiFi when you make online purchases. Only buy things over the Internet using a password protected, secure Internet connection, like the one you have at home. You wouldn’t want someone getting your credit card details unexpectedly.

A really neat idea made possible by our Internet technologies is meeting someone online. There are many ways to do it, including dating sites and social groups, but an interesting method is a tool called Instagram. Using this photography app on a smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy Note, or a tablet like the iPad mini, users can share their photos, including personal portraits. The concept behind Instagram is to host a social group through photography. Each Instagram users has their own profile that keeps track of their own personal photos. Users can “follow” one another, with an option to be a private user, which requires permission before having access to someone’s profile of photographs.

Like information about technology, sharing love makes everyone’s life better. Embrace the Internet and show someone how much you care. Create something, order online, and for those readers who are single, maybe you’ll find who you’re looking for.

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Meet the newest technologies of 2013

aadmin — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 13:58:58 +0000

One of the best things about technology is that as a whole, it’s in a constant state of motion. Technology never stays the same. The devices we use are constantly upgraded and remodeled to enhance the users overall experience using it. For this reason we’ve seen several versions of Apple’s iPad released in 2012, along with the introduction of new tablet technologies like the Microsoft Surface and Google’s Nexus 10.

Tablet technologies are quickly gaining popularity and will someday soon take over the place of a laptop computer. Similarly, smartphones like the Apple iPhone, Microsoft Windows Phone, and the Samsung Galaxy were all released in 2012, gradually pushing our normal cell phones into extinction. So many new gadgets, all in the same year, and 2013 will follow suit.

One new technology to watch out for is called Leap Motion. Their product, which is scheduled for release in 2013, converts traditional desktop and laptop computers into a motion sensing device. In other words, you’ll be able to check your email, read Google news, build your family tree and connect with loved ones over Facebook and Skype without needing to use your keyboard and mouse.

The best part is you don’t need a new computer. You simply add the Leap Motion device to your current computer setup and it’s instantly converted into a motion sensing machine. It’s quite remarkable. Be sure to watch their demonstration video so you truly understand how this will change the way we interact with our household computers in the near future.

Surprisingly enough, there is a great new thermostat technology called Nest planned for release in 2013. Nest is a thermostat that learns how your home likes the temperature to be regulated, not only for comfort, but also to save energy. Whether it’s extra warm at night to stay cozy during the winter months, or cool when everyone leaves for their regular morning exercises, Nest learns every time you use it, so it eventually does all the work for you. Also, Nest is WIFI enabled, which means you can access your thermostat from your smartphone when you’re out of the house.

Isn’t it nice to think about warming up the house for a couple hours right before you get home from a ski trip? You can bet that there will be many more things you’ll be able to control in your home from a smartphone using the Internet. Security systems, lights, and even cameras are already available and getting more and more popular.

Probably the most incredible technology expected in 2013 is a revolutionary idea in the automotive industry. Sometime in the near future, Cadillac Super Cruise will be available, allowing drivers to remove their hands from the wheel while the vehicle drives itself.

In a nutshell, high tech computers and semi-autonomous intelligence monitor the side of the road and the cars around the vehicle simultaneously. With this information, Cadillac Super Cruise calculates a safe speed to travel and maintains a safe distance from obstacles on the road.

This means that when you drive from your retirement home to the theatre, you can sit back and read your e-reader with a cup of tea. Now, 2013 won’t actually create this scenario for us, as the technology is brand new.

Think of how many digital cameras existed before there was actually a good one at a reasonable price. It’s important to recognize that the technology is in development and will eventually get here with more upgrading and remodeling.

What a great year it will be for seniors and technology. Imagine 5 years from now…

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Dating website for seniors looks to attract more men

aadmin — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:53:37 +0000

As RetirementHomes.com has reported, dating websites for single seniors are becoming increasingly popular, and that’s good news for the online businesses and for older people looking to meet their mates.

But as reported recently in the National Post newspaper, one British website for older singles, mylovelyparent.com, is finding that success also has a price. Started by 35 year-old Briton Matt Connolly, spurred on by a request from his 60-something mother asking for his help finding her a mate, mylovelyparent.com has sparked interest among older singles, but now has a 4:1 ratio of female to male members on the site.

Connolly told the newspaper he didn’t attribute the gender gap to demographics of women outliving men, but to the reticence of many males to seek romantic partners online.

“The older we get as chaps, the less confident we become in meeting people. As a result, the fear of failure builds up and we eventually stop trying,” Connolly said.

To help attract more men, the dating website is offering free membership to the first one thousand men who join, and is giving away free coaching sessions and tailor-made suits.

Have you ever tried a dating website? What did you think of the experience?

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Wireless computers: Formerly a luxury, now a basic

aadmin — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 12:29:10 +0000

It's sometimes easy to forget how much technology has changed in the last 10 years. Personally, I grew up with a generation that had Internet access from the moment it was available to everyone, nearly 2/3 of my life. At the beginning, getting online was much different. Our family computer was a $3000, large and bulky, tan colored machine that had its own room in our house. It used a loud modem to connect to the only phone line we had, which meant no one could make a call while the Internet was in use.

Today, getting online is easier and more convenient than ever before. With the introduction of WIFI, which is the name commonly given to the concept of connecting to the Internet with a device wirelessly using radio waves, everything changed. Our computers (laptops) got smaller and more powerful, which promoted using these tools in a more mobile way. We were no longer forced to sit in our computer rooms anymore. We had the freedom to sit on the couch and check our email, or watch a cooking tutorial while preparing dinner in the kitchen. WIFI made it possible for the Internet to be available to everyone virtually anywhere. What a game changer!

Connecting to the Internet using WIFI is also the technology that makes new gadgets such as tablets, smart phones, and new laptops possible, as these devices do not have another means to get online. So, when you walk around your retirement home sharing photos of your grandchildren on Facebook with your neighbors, imagine trying to do the same with a long wire attached to the wall. It would actually seem ridiculous. Future technologies will undoubtedly all use WIFI to access the Internet. Wires will soon be a thing of the past.

Because WIFI is so common, it's important that everyone understands a few basic concepts about it, to use it confidently and safely. First, if you have your own WIFI connection at home, be sure to setup a WIFI password. This will ensure that only the people who know your password can get access to you WIFI connection. Second, when using public WIFI, like at Starbucks or your modernized retirement home, avoid making online purchases or doing online banking. With no WIFI password, anyone could view all the activity on the public WIFI connection, which includes your credit card number and bank information. Reserve this type of online activity for at home, when you're using a private, password protected WIFI connection.

Finally, it's important to know how to make your WIFI connection signal as strong as possible, so your Internet loads quickly. Be sure to have the WIFI router (electronic box with an antenna that transmits wireless radio waves) at a high elevation, wherever it's setup. Also, keep it away from other electronic devices. This will help create a wide open area for the WIFI Internet connection to be projected and will decrease the amount of electronic interference other technologies might create.

Have fun out there in our WIFI enabled world. Just imagine when entire cities offer free WIFI to everyone…wow! WIFI truly is a technology for seniors.

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