RetirementHomes.com - Computer News

New Media for Older Adults - Bridging the Gap

aadmin — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 07:54:12 +0000

With access to social media tools like Facebook and Twitter, people around the world can connect and interact with their family members, friends, and communities (both near and far) within a virtual space.

This digital forum of communication and entertainment promotes the extension of personal networks and helps maintain strong relationships within them by increasing our perceived proximity to the people we care about.

There are many benefits for older adults living in retirement communities to use social media on a regular basis:

Decrease feelings of isolation
Provide users with the abilities to share narratives about themselves
Post pictures and videos from their daily lives
Read updates from other users
Participate in free video calls with loved ones
Play games with others

Social media websites keep us more connected with the people and communities around us than ever before.

To utilize these social media tools fully, it’s important for seniors to understand what they are, how they work, and just how easy they are to use with a little practice and support. The following descriptions are meant to help communicate the key elements of Facebook and Twitter to new users and to highlight the value of each tool.

Facebook is the largest online social network, with over 1.1 billion registered users from all over the planet. The purpose of Facebook is to allow people to connect with others that they know, once knew, or have met. At a minimum, the people you add to your Facebook network are your acquaintances, but most will be family and friends. An acquaintance, for example, could be an old classmate you lost touch with or maybe a coworker from a past career.

On Facebook, they refer to all the people in your network as a “friend”. You choose who your “friends” are and you can deny accepting someone as a “friend” if you want to. Your Facebook “friends” can view your personal profile, which is a collection of information about you. You decide what information you share in your profile.

Typically, people share their birthday, a few photos, and maybe a couple of personal interests, such as your favorite book or hobby. Whenever you share something on Facebook, for instance a picture or a comment, your “friends” can see it. Essentially, your “friends” have access to all of the things you share on Facebook, and you have access to all of the things that they share.

Another fun feature of Facebook is the multitude of free games you can play, both alone and with your “friends”. It’s amazing to think that we can play a match of Scrabble with someone online, even if we are at different ends of the country :)

Twitter, unlike Facebook, is a social networking tool that enables users to connect with people and organizations they do not know personally, like an author, celebrity, or a brand (like Coke or Microsoft). Friends and family can also be in your Twitter network, but knowing everyone personally is not necessary.

Twitter calls the people in your network “followers”. All of your “followers” can see everything you decide to share on Twitter. The idea here is that you share small comments that describe what you’re doing, how you’re feeling, or maybe an opinion you have; all said in 140 characters.

Each user, including the brands/organizations, put Twitter updates online regularly for all “followers” to see, which means there is a lot of information floating around. As a result of its vast user base and instantaneous connectivity to everyone using the tool, Twitter has become one of today’s leading news/media sources.

As news happens, updates are put on Twitter in real time, spreading the information like wild fire. It almost makes newspapers, which report stories the day after they happen, seem obsolete.

Having access to basic computer technologies and the Internet makes the virtual world of social media available to everyone who knows how to use it. For this reason, it’s essential that retirement communities provide free use of computer devices that are current and well maintained.

More importantly, seniors need guidance and support when moving into this digital realm, to help point them in the right direction, build confidence and establish comfort with technology. With these elements, retirement communities and the people who reside in them will be part of the normal, digital world that continues to unfold.

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Touch Screen Technologies for Seniors with Dementia

aadmin — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 09:34:07 +0000

Technology is easier to use than ever before. Tablets and touch screen monitors have forever changed the way we interact with technology, making the experience much more accessible and accommodating for new users.

Tablets and touch screens can be used by anyone, including older adults living with dementia, mobility and dexterity issues, and other common disabilities, like vision impairments. Everybody – with guidance, support, and a willingness to learn – can find great value in touch technologies and the Internet.

Tablets are the easiest device for beginners. Older adults without previous computer experience can begin by playing online games, asking Google to find information using a “voice search” command, or zooming in on their home town map - in only a few minutes.

Tablets simplify accessing the Internet with their light weight and intuitive design, opening the gateway to amazing user possibilities. The primary reason tablet computers are so helpful for seniors is due to their user-friendly controls. Unlike a computer or laptop, a tablet’s touchscreen interface only needs one finger for basic control. Even those with shaky grips or limited dexterity can still accurately touch the screen by implementing a stylus pen.

A huge benefit of having access to tablets and the Internet is free entertainment. Many complimentary games are available on tablets to stimulate the player’s mind, including puzzles, word games, memory games, and sports games, like golf. These games are often considered to assist in brain fitness. They push players to think, be creative, solve problems, and complete tasks. Games can be great fun as a viable means of escapism, which we all occasionally need. The look on someone's face driving a virtual race car at a hundred miles an hour is priceless :)

Another popular use for tablets is watching online videos, through“apps” like YouTube. Users can call up videos of anything they want ... from live music concerts and old television shows, to knitting instructions and documentaries about World War II. There are online videos on just about everything for all to enjoy.

It may not be possible for some individuals with dementia to remember all the steps in operating tablets. It’s suggested that someone stay close to act as a technology coach. New learners will feel they are positively progressing, instead of forgetting what to do next, or accidentally tapping on an in-app advertisement, which can happen to the best of us.

Having a guide to answer questions, or set up activities or games, motivates seniors to try new things that could make them uncomfortable on their own. Often, quick reminders of the simple controls helps users with dementia progress and overcome small hurdles in seconds, which positively reinforces their own accomplishments too!

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Teaching Positive Technology Techniques to Retirement Residents - A Case Study

aadmin — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 12:17:08 +0000

Modern technology has forever changed how we interact with and understand the world around us. Every day, the importance of technology’s role in our society increases. As gadgets get better and more intertwined in our daily lives, we often forget how frequently we use technology to enhance our day to day living. Whether it’s accessing information and entertainment, learning new things and exploring unfamiliar places, or communicating with loved ones, using technology has become essential to living a full life in today’s digital world.

The nature of technology is to change over time. As it improves, this change happens faster and more frequently, which leaves individuals with limited exposure to new technologies behind. Older adults in particular make up one of the largest demographics that do not fully benefit from the endless possibilities technology can provide. Quite often this is caused by a lack of access to the modern technologies available and unfamiliarity with how to use them.

Recognizing this void in the community, ETAG was founded in 2008 to provide accessible technology assistance to older adults specifically, bridging the digital divide between generations. ETAG’s Technology Enabled Living program focuses on providing technology education and support to seniors living in retirement lifestyle communities. Equipped with a variety of laptop computers, tablets, and WiFi Internet, ETAG’s mobile technology lab and patient instructors help residents plug into the essential, life changing technologies many of us take for granted.

Advocating for Technology for Residents

The ability to learn about technology in the comfort of home is important because it helps illustrate how practical and convenient today’s digital gadgets and Internet tools can be. It also helps seniors recognize the value of using devices like tablets and cell phones in everyday life. For these reasons, it’s important for retirement communities to be advocates for technology and encourage residents to try things like a computer and the Internet, even if they have no previous experience, because of the amazing opportunities these common tools make possible.

To get seniors interested in using technology, there are a few key things a retirement home’s team can do. First, have a variety of technologies available for residents to use. Having a few device options is necessary to accommodate the many types of users there are. For instance, someone who can use a tablet comfortably because of the touch screen might have trouble controlling a mouse on a desktop computer due to an unsteady grip. Creating options for different user types makes for an accommodating and positive experience for learners. There is a technology out there for just about everyone, so having different options available helps learners determine which one if best suited for their needs and interests.

Reduce Unnecessary Barriers to New Learners

It’s also important that the technology made available for residents is not out of date and works properly. As a regular technology user, it can be quite frustrating when your equipment is slow, constantly displays errors, or stops working because an update is required. This negative experience is heightened exponentially when the user is unfamiliar with technology and thinks they personally did something wrong that created the issue in the first place. Although these are common issues with technology in general, they create an unnecessary barrier for new learners to face when first getting started. Having someone responsible for regular maintenance of the technology can eliminate these troubles.

One of the most helpful aspects of ETAG’s TEL program is the one-to-one instruction residents get about how to use technology. Instead of “doing” things for the participant, take the time to talk about technology with each learner, and actually teach them how to do things instead of showing them. The idea is to promote making mistakes to see what happens. With this information, residents gradually learn to not be intimidated by the devices they are using, even when they are trying something new for the first time. Encourage learners not to be worried about breaking something or doing the wrong thing. These “mistakes” are part of learning.

Making the Learning Experience Fun

By making the learning experience fun, new technology users are often more receptive to their first few experiences with a new gadget. Watching YouTube videos of favorite musicians, exploring old neighborhoods and reminiscing, connecting with a family member for a video call, or playing a challenging game are all great ways to make learning about technology a little more fun. Once someone has had several positive experiences using technology, and they feel good about using it, they will be more forgiving when a technology problem occurs, which is inevitable. Making the positive experiences outweigh the negative ones is essential. Don’t get hung up on things not working. Move on, try again, and do your best to finish every technology use experience on a high note.

As recent trends suggest, the integration of new digital technologies into everyday life will only increase moving forward. The current senior demographic plus the aging population will unquestionably require an infrastructure that promotes Internet access and ongoing technology support. Retirement communities are in the position to play a key role in this infrastructure.

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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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Reminiscence Rooms Breathe New Life into Memory Care

aadmin — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 14:20:49 +0000

New digital reminiscence units (DRUs) are the latest technology to assist elderly people with their memories, in Wiltshire, England.

According to This is Wiltshire.co.uk, use of reminiscence as a therapy reduces the use of memory treatment drugs.

Residential facilities in Wiltire are in the forefront of the use of memory rooms, decorated with furniture and furnishings straight out of the 1950s.

This throw-back technique uses as a gentle means to help residents employ new digital reminiscence units. Special computers possess 1,000's of hours of film clips from the BBC, film archives and popular music from the 1940s to the present day. Also popular game shows from the past are presented along with a touch screen.

Residents, who have never used a computer remark how easy it is to access, by creating personal profiles, playing quizzes, and watching old TV clips.

Such an approach is being considered in US Assisted Living and Continuing Care residents, employing American perspectives.

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97-year-old Woman Loves Facebook

aadmin — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 14:32:48 +0000

Facebook is becoming popular among elderly people, once they learn how to start an account and deal with notifications, newsfeeds, timelines and privacy issues, reports The Huffington Post.

Eighty seven libraries in New York are helping seniors get connected during 90-minute courses. The city's libraries report an increase in seniors using social media, including two women, 69-year-old and 76 year-old. NYC is proud of the unnamed publicity shy 97-year-old who is learning the how-to's of Facebook.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project reports that online seniors are growing. More than half of U.S. adults 65 and older are online.

Seniors tend to be unsure of themselves when exploring Facebook, need reinforcement and some tips about how to utilize it better. New York library instructors instruct on the concepts of "friending" and responding to requests on Facebook, especially from persons they recognize.

Classes are also offered about Google, eBooks, basics of the computer and how to use mobile devices.

Social Media classes are offered to seniors across the US and Canada.

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Company gives free iPhones to seniors

aadmin — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:17:51 +0000

There are nearly 150 million smartphone users in North America, recent studies have shown. Smarphones are cell phones with additional features such as wireless Internet, maps, e-mail, messaging, and a host of other applications.

According to some estimates, the country with the highest percentage of cell phone users who carry smartphones is not the United States or Canada, but is located across the Pacific Ocean: Singapore.

And in Singapore, a national wireless carrier has been collecting used smartphones and is turning them into safety devices for the country’s seniors- free of charge.

As reported recently by TodayOnline.com, SingTel, along with two local volunteer groups, has been customizing the phones to provide Singaporean seniors with added safety and security.

Some of the features on the phones including a tracking device which recognizes if the senior carrying it has fallen, and will automatically alert their caregiver, as well as an easy application which will allow seniors to call the police or ambulance with the click of a single button. In fact, this could be one of the best smartphones for seniors.

One woman, 76 year-old Choo Kim Lain, told TodayOnline.com that when she had an asthma attack two years ago, she felt helpless, but with her new smartphone, she will be more independent.

“With this phone now, I can do this myself, and don't have to wait for help,” Choo Kim Lain told the news outlet.

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4 Ways to Remotely Monitor the Elderly

aadmin — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:39:12 +0000

Naysayers call it a BIG Brother attempt at a surveillance system to detect worrisome changes in an older person's behaviour.

But in Scotland, where the system is in trial phase, exponents say it's a legitimate attempt to help elderly and vulnerable people living independently at home.

HeraldScotland reported on the ambitious technology developed by computer scientists at Technabling, a spin-off company of Aberdeen University, CaringAide.

CaringAide works in 4 ways as a remote monitoring system for the elderly.

1. A network of sensors is placed around an older adult's home to detect shifts in routines indicative of health dangers, such as a fall or signs of dementia.

2. Electronic messages are emitted for assessment to a remote care center staffed 24/7 by professionals. In case of immediate action the person's care contact or support network is alerted.

3. A computerized infrastructure linked to internet cameras is integrated into the system. CaringAide plays down users' fears they are being watched.

4. Design software to protect privacy through a process of making use of multiple encryption and security technologies. Images are not accessible or visible unless authorized.

CaringAide's pioneering work is being closely watched by North American Assisted Living and Continuing Care residences.

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The Use of Colors for Website and Marketing Success

aadmin — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 11:55:02 +0000

When designing your website and marketing materials the colors you choose are extremely important. Different colors evoke different emotions from people, so you’ll want to find out what colors are right for your niche or target audience.

Why is this so important? Because your website and all of your marketing material is not about YOU or what colors you like but rather about what your visitors or customers like. The purpose of your website and marketing materials is all about attracting and invoking a certain feeling in your visitors, which has nothing to do with you. This often seems to be difficult for business owners to understand, yet it is critical for business success.

Example, if your target audience is all male, you can use darker colors and colors with deep contrast. Women tend to prefer softer shades of color but again it depends on what your website is all about and what you are trying to get your visitors to feel and do.

Different colors can cause people to feel: relaxation, happiness, agitated, energized, calm, mellow, angry, feel like shouting, a statement was made, authoritative, professional, trustworthy and more.

Since most websites have more than one color in them, the colors need to have similar hues to them and be coordinated for a good appearance.

To understand the colors that website designers use, try using http://kuler.adobe.com/#themes/rating?time=30 to help develop your color scheme.You will also want to read more on how colors affect emotions at www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html.

Maximize your website and your marketing to your niche or target audience by paying attention to the colors you use and you will increase your business success.

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