By Meghan Streit
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
The Internet isn’t changing the world. It already has. Computers and the Internet affect every aspect of modern life, from keeping in touch with friends to paying bills to booking vacations. It is literally everywhere, and it is here to stay.
“I know a lot of people who are not online and their comment is ‘I’ve lived all my life without the Internet, and I don’t need it,’” says Colin Milner, CEO of the International Council on Active Aging. “If I took that approach, I’d be riding a horse to work.”
These days, if you’re not online, there’s a world of information and convenience that you are missing. That’s why an increasing number of older adults are embracing technology and getting online.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
If you didn’t grow up using a computer and surfing the Web, it can seem intimidating. But a local computer class or tech-savvy grandchild is usually not hard to find.
“We don’t want somebody to help us because that makes us dependent on someone,” Milner says. “But in reality, it’s like anything; if you’ve never done it before, you need help.”
At Erickson communities like Monarch Landing, in Naperville, Ill., the staff understands the incredible importance of the Internet, and they make it easy for people to learn how to use it. Not only is there a computer lab for resident use, but there is also a computer club that welcomes people of all skill levels. When Hickory Chase opens in 2009, a computer lab will be located in the Cardinal Clubhouse, and residents will be welcome to start a computer club there as well.
“The computer club is a group of residents who get together and discuss everything from current events to [technological] problems they might have, and how computers can enrich your life,” says Jason Hedman, Monarch Landing’s director of IT (information technology). “We’ve had club members who didn’t start using computers until they moved to Monarch Landing and people who’ve been using computers since they just came out.”