Tech-savvy seniors may be not the norm, but nor are they necessarily hard to come by. For some, it depends greatly on how adventurous and technically adept they were in their younger years; while for others, it has more to do with the influences around them. For example if they have kids and/or friends encouraging them to be e-interactive, and these tech enthusiasts are willing to provide sufficient technical support, seniors will often embrace the challenge. On the flip side if they tend to isolate or have little interest in learning new things, new technology may have no appeal.
If you have a senior person in your life who has sufficient pluck and wherewithal to embrace technology, here are some tips for helping them along:
It’s important to remember that not all seniors are interested in keeping pace with the times. Some just want to be kept informed about various technical innovations, and be occasionally included in a technical activity that is initiated by someone else (e.g. Skyping with a faraway relative). As always, the trick is to try and include our aging loved ones in some aspects of our rapidly evolving world, while being sensitive to their limitations and respectful of their choices.