Learning a new piece of technology and putting it to use in your life can be challenging for anyone. But when there are people who didn’t grow up using technology the same way that younger generations have, it can be even more difficult to know what to do and how to use new tech. Luckily, for older people who have younger family or friends, they can help make this transition much easier.
So if you have an elderly loved one, either living on their own or in an assisted living facility, that you think would benefit from using more technology in their life, here are three ways to make tech easier for your elders to understand.
Give Them Something To Compare It To
As with learning anything new, starting from scratch can be hard to do. Especially if there’s nothing that you could build off of with your knowledge, learning to make these new connections can be a real challenge. And for many older people, this is what it’s like to learn a new technology.
Knowing this, it can be useful to find something that you can compare this new tech to that will give them a jumping off point for learning it. As you do this, just make sure that the comparisons you’re making are to things that you know they are already familiar with, which will usually exclude other forms of technology that they haven’t used yet.
Start Speaking The Same Language
For people who are very well versed in technology, there are all kinds of slang and jargon that can be used to make conversing easier. But when people don’t know this jargon, it’s incredibly easy for them to get lost in the conversation. And when your goal is to be teaching someone who to do something new, having them get lost in your explanation is the last thing you want to happen.
With this in mind, when speaking to your elderly loved one about learning a new piece of tech, make sure that you avoid using jargon, slang, or acronyms that they might not be familiar with. While this might take longer, at least you’ll know that they are understanding what you’re saying and referring to.
Find Ways To Adjust Hardware To Suit Their Needs
In general, tech is created so that people with fully functioning bodies can easily use it. But for many elderly people who might be experiencing things like arthritis or other health issues, using the hardware of this technology can be hard or impossible.
If this is something you see happening with your elderly loved one, consider how you can adjust the hardware to suit their needs. This could include using things like trackballs rather than a mouse or trying other ergonomic options that could make things easier for them.
If you want to make tech easier for your elderly loved one to implement in their life, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how this can be done.
