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Do you have an older relative who is fairly (or totally) new to computers and technology? If so, this video and the show notes are for you!

• EXPLAIN WHAT THE GADGET DOES, This should be the first thing you do when instructing someone about a device. For starters, this should spark interest from the person and may cause them to pay more attention during your explanation. If they know, for instance, that they will be able to watch their favorite show or check their stocks on the internet, it gives them more incentive to learn. The older generation tends to not know what a lot of the newer gadgets are or what they do, so when you say “wireless router”, their head may explode. Just explain this is the device that will allow you to watch their favorite show or check your stocks. Maybe compare it to similar devices around the house like a digital cable box. Before moving on, make sure the person knows the function of the device.
• ASSUME THIS PERSON HAS LIVED IN A CAVE FOR 20 YEARS. What I mean by this is, assume that the person is TOTALLY ignorant to what you are teaching them. Make sure you explain EVERYTHING. It really sucks when you have to make a trip back to grandma’s house AGAIN because you forgot to explain her screen is blank because her monitor is not on. On a side note, if they say they know, make sure they do. Remember , old people get confused too. If they say your treating them like a baby, politely say “Yes I am, because you grandma, are an infant to technology.”
• DO NOT INCLUDE INFORMATION THEY DON’T NEED TO KNOW! For instance, if your grandma just got her first computer and she is just going to use it to look up recipes and email, there is NO NEED to explain about hard drives, processors, memory, etc. All she needs to know is how to access the information and exit the information. Trust me, I have ran into many problems trying to explain WAY too many things at a time with people. Their brains just can’t handle it. So keep it simple. You will have plenty of time, (hopefully), to explain to your grandma the ins and outs of the PC which will probably come when your sent to fix her computer the first time.
• LET THEM DO IT THEMSELVES! A lot of people are tactile learners and NEED to do something to learn it. So, after you have done all the explaining you can do, ask them to try it. Make sure they do everything right, as this is probably the way they will do it for the rest of their life. If they do something wrong, START OVER. Do not go on from where they messed up. This will keep the order of the process correct in their head.
• WRITE THE INSTRUCTIONS DOWN! This is great for older people who just seem to LOVE to read. This should be a simple list of how to turn on, work, and turn off the device. Tell them to tape the instructions to the device such as the back of a monitor, bottom of a dvd player, etc. This will save you many phone calls of complaining that the device won’t work.

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Elder Tech

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Do you have a Grandparent or older friend/relative in your life who is interested in computing? Here are some tips sent in by Clay to help you (and them!) get started.

• Use the Dvorak keyboard layout! It is less stressful on the hands and wrists.. Because the most commonly used letters are together there is less movement involved to get those letters, which equals less energy being used, which equals good for bad joints.
• If you are getting the elderly started on their first computer or trying to help someone that is having trouble seeing the screen, get them a BIG monitor with a high resolution.. When you set it up for him or her, set the resolution lower than the optimal.. 1152×864 for instance for a monitor with a 4:3 aspect ratio and an optimal resolution of 1600×1200.. This will help in several ways… First, some websites are wider than 1024 pixels in width, if you have a smaller monitor with a resolution of 1024×768 they have to scroll over.. If you can set the resolution higher they don’t have to do that. Second, the monitor is big, so lower resolution added to the big size will make the text and images even bigger, making it even easier to see.
• They don’t need a fast computer! You can get them an older, slower computer. First, most likely all they are going to use it for is the internet, for that almost all computers from 1999 will work. Second, they are patient, they won’t mind to wait for programs to start.
• Get them started on Linux or even an old Mac. This way they don’t have to worry about viruses, spyware, and all the junk you all ways have to update. Doing the updates will probably not happen also. My grandparents WILL NOT update their protection I have showed them how, programmed it in for the app to update automatically but they stop it when it starts. I would guess many other people would too. Another advantage to Linux or Mac would be that, they are stable.. Even on the best windows machines you can get errors while browsing the web, save them from that torture.
• Help them out with the computer when ever you can. When you are there to help them, then they know that you really care about them. Also besides that, they also enjoy the company.

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Computing with Elders

Ack. Thpt.

I didn’t know what to get Ponzi for Valentine’s Day. Really, truly. I always seem to pick the “wrong” jewelry and clothing styles when we’re out and about, so I didn’t even bother to go that route. Flowers? No. Chocolates? No. A Nintendo DS Lite – white, to match her iPod (which she did appreciate).

The hardware was sitting behind a locked case at Target, so I had to locate a “keymaster” employee. Since I wasn’t sure if Ponzi would want white or black, I got one of each. There were also a handful of games in front of me, so I asked about a few of ‘em. Was that the original Super Mario Bros? “Yeah, but it’s like the old, old, old one from the old NES.”

DUDE?! I grew up with that game system! Hell, I was a frosh in high school when Zelda was my princess! OLD?! Does it look like I wear dentures? Do you see any grey hairs? I whacked the kid with my cane, pivoted in the Little Rascal, and wheeled away with those handheld game units tightly pressed against my Searsucker.

Old. I’m old!?

I’m Old?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!