Does this sound familiar? “I can’t understand this computer rubbish.” If so, you have probably been trying to teach an elderly parent, grandparent, or friend how to use the internet and tech. At times, this might seem like an uphill battle but don’t give up just yet.
Don’t Give Up On The Elderly
If you look at the infographic from medhelpalert.org, you will see how capable the over-60 group is when it comes to the internet. Seniors are more than capable of learning and are actually using the internet, as we can see from the statistics.
It is a good idea to show the infographic to the elderly person in your life if she doesn’t believe that she is capable of learning. Sure, some things are going to be a lot more difficult to learn, but that won’t be the case with everything.
We Need Patience
Why not sit the person down and ask her what is she afraid of? Most of the time, it is something as simple as her not wanting to make a fool out of herself, or not wanting to be a bother.
If that’s the objection, it is fairly simple to overcome. You just need to be patient and never show any hint of annoyance. Let her ask the same question hundreds of times if need be, it will be worth it if she gets it in the end.
Another objection that you might encounter is, “What do I need it for?” Maybe your gran likes writing her cheques and going off to pay her bills in person. If that’s the case, online banking is not something she is likely to gravitate towards unless you can find a significant benefit, like saving a lot of fees.
But she might be more amenable to learning how to use Skype or Facebook if it meant staying in contact with the rest of the family. That could be a fairly simple sell. It would not take long before she got into the swing of things there.
And who knows, maybe being able to do the simpler things means that she will be more willing to learn even more about the others.