5 Tips to Help Your Senior Citizen be More ‘Social’ Savvy

5 Tips to Help Your Senior Citizen be More ‘Social’ Savvy – By Mike Cooper 

Many of us use the internet every day for research, news and to catch up with family and friends on one of several social media platforms.  ‘Kids’ of a certain age don’t know a time when there wasn’t internet access. But there are many older adults who don’t use the internet at all, or don’t use it for social media access.

Why not? “Back in the day” they didn’t have computers, much less internet, so all this technology is something foreign to them. When they were working, senior citizens used typewriters to communicate professionally, and then, those documents were hand-delivered or put into an envelope and mailed to the recipient.

But that doesn’t mean that older adults can’t learn to use the internet to stay in touch with family and friends. This is a great way to keep those seniors “in the loop” with what is going on, even if they cannot get out.

In fact, my dad, who turned 91 in March, is a Senior Citizen Facebook user since 2009! (My two kids ‘friended’ him years before they let me stock their updates.) Just a couple weeks ago dad went into the hospital to have a pacemaker put in. He took a post-surgery selfie of him and his wife, Kitty, and he posted it to Facebook. That post got over 65 likes and 45 comments congratulating him for a successful procedure! (A pre-surgery selfie he took of him and my baby sister Corti, that she posted, got over 150 likes and 56 comments!) How’s that for the power of the internet! My dad was able to see those likes and comments and he knew people were thinking about him and wishing him well. There are so many seniors who have a procedure done not knowing if anyone knows they are having it or feeling those good wishes, and that is a shame!

Even more so, it is about seeing what the kids, grandkids or even great-grandkids are doing; being able to share in their joys and successes even if they can’t be there.

Do you want your senior loved one to have the social aspect? Here are five tips to help your loved one be more social savvy:

• Get a tablet. If they don’t already have a computer, there is no need to buy them one. A tablet provides more than enough functionality for senior citizen’s to access to social media and with a bigger screen. It may even be easier to use than a cell phone.
• Cell service vs WIFI. If your loved one doesn’t already have Wi-Fi service, you should check the costs of adding their device (with cell service) to your plan versus getting Wifi for them. A lot of family plans allow you to add a device for very little per month. Chances are your loved one won’t use a lot of data for their little social media usage. (I’m on the AT&T family plan for four phones with unlimited texting and ample data space. The kids anti-up just $40/month instead of up to $135 for a new plan of their own.)
• Make it simple. Set up a basic Facebook account for them and ‘friend’ a few family members, relatives and/or friends. This way, they can start seeing what other people are doing right away.
• Make it simple, part two! Show them how to get to the right app and how to navigate through the newsfeed. Write out easy instructions so they can go back to them if they get stuck when you are not around.
• Follow up. After a little while, see if they are still going to the app. If not, find out why not. Maybe they forgot what to do. A simple refresher could help with that. Let the grandkids encourage them to look at what they are doing. “Come on grandma, I want you to see the pictures from my dance recital.” It will make your loved one feel wanted.

Seniors should not be excluded from using social media; rather, they could benefit from being included in the activities of family and friends when they can’t be there. With a little help and guidance, you can turn your loved one into a social savvy senior!

If you know of someone that cannot be left home alone safely, Naperville Senior Center Adult Day Services has plenty for a senior citizen to do in a safe environment including a computer center with plenty of computing power. One member recently IM’d her niece in Indonesia.

Register today for a free 3 hour trial and see what all the excitement is about! Your loved one (and a caretaker) will receive: a free hot noon-time meal; a tour of our facility; a neck massage from one of our experienced therapists; and participation in activities like Wii Sports, Karaoke, and other games! Give a senior citizen the chance to interact with other people and gain the quality of life they may have been missing.

5 Tips to Help Your Senior Citizen be More ‘Social’ Savvy