by Toni Laberge

Created on: February 21, 2008

A great change in technology has been seen by most seniors today. Some have seen the introduction of the automobile, party-line' telephones, television and the computer age. This age group has also been eager to participate in these new technologies and be part of the on-line community.

Grandma and Grandpa want to be part of the on-line community. They want a communication lifeline between their generation and the younger generation. The internet has become a big part of their children's lives and the grandchildren have grown up on it. They are excited about 'surfing the net', sending emails to their friends and family and the on-line chat. It is more convenient and more inexpensive to take digital photos rather than by film camera, choosing only the images they want to retain and print. Seniors are an invaluable resource when it comes to researching genealogy and can document information online before it becomes lost forever.

While all of these benefits exist, not many seniors are adept at typing. It is something they will have to learn (or re-learn). I have recommended some free on-line typing resources to some seniors, but it is difficult to memorize and become adept at the skill of touch-typing. It becomes difficult to respond to emails or engage in a chat if typing is a barrier. Even logging in with a username and password can become cumbersome.

Seniors seem to take warnings about computer security and scams very seriously. They don't want to be the seniors that got taken advantage of. Some seniors refuse to engage in any on-line banking activities, and some sing the praises of convenience. The scams of today are very slick and it is difficult to determine whether or not it is a scam. For example some of the 'phishing' sites where a bank's website is duplicated on a scam site recording usernames and passwords of unsuspecting customers.

Its good to be wary, yet there are many benefits that can be realized for seniors. Benefits only persons from their generation can fully appreciate. They have experienced many technological changes that their children and grand-children cannot fathom. Many innovations they have witnessed, such as the telephone and the television are available in one device via various applications.

Seniors are keen to be on-line and they enjoy learning new applications. As new challenges appear, new appreciation for technology is realized. Just imagine how Grandma and Grandpa feel as they begin to learn how to chat' on-line, they are then faced with another barrier the abbreviated text-based lingo. The generation gap still exists, it has just been slightly modified by technology.

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