Otherwise, these days no one, especially seniors, can do without the use of computers or any of its derivatives.
A reader of this blog wrote that her elderly mother does not like computers. She even hates them, she said. But she also admits that her mom’s life has been saved several times by the emergency warning device – a computer derivate – she wears around her neck.
I can’t get by for long without my computer. My old friends find it unbelievable that I can sit in front of my laptop for hours on end. Yet, unknowingly, they spend more hours with their smartphones.
The computer has become an indispensable tool in our daily lives. It is here to stay and will continue to do so long after you are dead. You cannot do without them or any of its cousins if you want to keep up with other seniors (and the rest of the world)
In fact, seniors are very much into it as the charts below show.
These days elderly people are more tech-savvy than their predecessors. They go online for the latest trends and news, gadgets, weather reports, book airline ticket or restaurant and hotel reservations. They buy stuff online or find romance from dating sites.
Other than its practical uses, here are ten other reasons why you should keep up:
1. Connect with family members and friends:
Getting in touch with family members and friends has never been so easy, fast, and cheap. You can send messages through text, voice, and/or video.
And you can do them in the comfort of your home or anywhere in the world. All you need is an Internet connection. No frills, no hassle, just log in and you get connected.
Getting connected helps remove loneliness and feelings of isolation. It also allows you to get immediate help in case of emergencies.
2. Slow down age-related decline:
Computers allow you to get information online. This exercises your mind and helps you stay sharp, informed, mentally alert, and physically active.
These activities may be simple and easy but they slow down cognitive decline – one of the natural consequences of aging.
3. Enhance your life:
Some studies show that people who regularly use the computer have lesser depression symptoms than those who don’t.
This is because going online is as enriching as going on a trip or an adventure. You get to know places, people, and culture without actually being there. It expands your knowledge and boosts your self-worth.
4. Increase your self-confidence:
The knowledge you get from browsing the Internet increases your knowledge base, allowing you to interact with your social circle with ease and finesse.
Other than becoming more socially adept, computers and computer-based products like fall detectors, health monitors, wrist instruments, locators, and emergency dialing capabilities, give you the self-confidence of going about your daily activities without anxiety or fear of something going wrong.
5. Better bonding with grandchildren:
What do most children do these days? Play computer games! They are in front of computer game consoles at home, glued to their smartphones or tablets outside, or hang out in arcades shooting down virtual monsters or aliens.
And what’s to stop you from joining them? Cool, huh!
Speaking the language of your grandchildren and playing with them promotes bonding. It is also good for your physical and mental health.
Just don’t overdo it. Overexcitement may not be good for your old heart.
6. Help solve mobility problems:
Computers, unexpectedly, have made life easier, faster, and cheaper.
They allow you to pay bills online, do bank transactions, buy groceries or personal stuff, make hotel, restaurant, or flight reservations, to name a few.
This is a kind of basket-full of goods if you suffer from mobility or driving problems.
7. Automate records keeping:
You can get rid of those handwritten notes, i.e., your health history, your bank transactions, your next doctor’s appointment, drugs you are taking, and when to take them, by using computers.
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There are apps (electronic applications) in the market that can do all these, ether from desktops or portable, like laptops, smartphones, and tablets.
All you have to do is encode all your important information into your computer and the apps will do the rest. They will even beep you a reminder.
8. Get connected with other people or groups:
You can easily reach people or groups with similar interests, idealism, political color, sexual orientation, etc., online.
They are found in FB, Twitter, Instagram, and many other social sites. Joining is easy and interacting with them even easier. All you have to do is take part in the group’s discussion
What makes this kind of getting-to-know-you setup great is that you can voice out your thoughts and opinions over a wide range of issues, yet remain anonymous.
9. Find a new romance:
If you are looking for another chance at romance but are a bit shy about it, join dating sites.
They are so popular among people looking for another shot at love and relationship. Millions of men and women gather around these sites looking for the same thing as you.
They provide all kinds of women of various sizes, colors, ethnicity, nationality, and needs. All you have to do is send a “friendship request.” If they accept, then you are off to a possible wonderful ride.
Beware, however of scammers. Where millions of sheep gather, there the wolves are on the prowl for unsuspecting victims.
10. Earn supplemental income:
Computers have redefined work. Whereas it was a home-to-office-and- back routine before, now you can do it at home or anywhere.
You can now “work” while basking on a tropical beach or flying from one country to the next. You can work while having a bus ride, a train, or at home in your pajamas.
There are thousands of ways to earn a living through your computer.
In 1973, roughly three years after the first computers were used in the office, an article titled, “Computers and Technology: Aiding Tomorrow’s Aged,” was published in a periodical called, The Gerontologist.
The article wrote in part…
“The powerless and helpless feeling of the aged is due not only to increasing infirmity but to society’s failure to set up institutions and systems that make it possible for the elderly to overcome the handicaps they have…An elderly person’s maximum amount of ability to care for himself/herself would save society huge sums of money.”
No doubt about that.
Please help other seniors by sharing this.
~oOo~
Seniors deserve love of the whole family. Computers are a great way for seniors living away from them to connect. With your points, seniors will definitely get a new medium to entertain them and get closer to their family. But over-usage can cause problems for seniors. It’s important that they do not get addicted, as a long duration in front of a computer is not good for their health.
Source: http://www.stonecrestseniorliving.com/