The founder of Our Family’s Webpage (our Your Family’s Web Page) has taken great effort in working with and getting to know the different agencies and groups responsible for assisting and supporting those living in their Golden Years. If you get a chance, please visit Your Family’s Web Page and consider the many uses and how you and your family can enjoy an easy and secure way for all of you to communicate. You can share photos of the latest family outing or new arrivals, learn what the kids are up to, or you can use it to chat, plan events, leave messages and even share files.
You may be thinking “I, my parent or grandparent doesn’t have access to the Internet or is not confident enough using a computer.” Well, there are services out there which assist with this and we would like to present two of the most prominent below. Even if you don’t use our service, being able to communicate through the Web, gaining information on health issues and pharmaceuticals and the opportunity to open up many windows to the world will make life much easier, interesting and enjoyable.
Aside from having access to a wealth of all this information and news, this may aid one in staying mentally active. Almost everything we do, have done or are involved with in life is right there and wouldn’t it be great to stay aware and current on those things which are and have been a part of our lives. And for those less mobile, this could be even more useful.
Senior Net is a national (non-profit) organization staffed by senior citizens which offers various educational programs that include computer and Internet training. They have 240 locations throughout the U.S., with over 4500 individuals working as administrators, instructors, coaches, leaders and volunteers. They can be found at www.seniornet.org.
SeniorConnects (www.seniorconnects.org) shares the same objective, but with a different approach. This not-for-profit organization is youth-managed and provides training directly at senior housing facilities and there is no charge for facilities using the program. Its instructors are high school and college students interested in performing community outreach service projects. When a student “adopts” a senior housing facility, many seniors view them as “surrogate grandkids” and feel comfortable receiving Internet and computer training from them.
I remember a project we had been running for many years in my high school Key Club. We would go to a particular seniors facility and spend several hours with the residents. This was way before anyone was concerned with computers, but we always looked forward to this and had a fantastic time. We were the number one Key Club in community service in our area for 16 years and quite active, but we never had a shortage of volunteers for this. You wouldn’t believe the smiles, conversations and laughs we had back then during these visits.
I don’t know if we were a welcome distraction, another gullible ear to bend or just some young and energetic teenagers that livened up the place for awhile. In a similar way, having access to the Internet and the assistance and training to do so, along with this human interaction, whether with peers or the next generation of computer gurus, may bring a new focus and add a little spark to the daily routine.
Below are several recommendations we feel relevant to seniors and most anyone regarding personal computing and the Internet. Please refer to other topics throughout this section page, particularly Safety.
Before we get started, if you are the loved one or a caring friend of a senior and you believe they may need guidance or assistance with initiating or carrying out any of these tasks, please do so or contact one of the organizations list below for assistance.
SeniorNet
SeniorsConnect
Seniors World Network
Senior Navigator
