Witnessing my friend’s grandfather trying to use a computer was one of the most entertaining things I have seen to date. After a few minutes of trying to figure out the relationship between the mouse, keyboard, and screen, his frustration got the best of him and he gave up on trying to figure it out. It is common for elders to stay away from these devices because they feel that trying to learn is an impossible task and count themselves out before giving it a real effort. Computers have unarguably been one of the best technologies in mankind. They allow us to connect and obtain answers from the outside world without even leaving our homes. The affect that computers can have on elder’s health is immense for various reasons. It provides a form of social interaction to maintain connections and lessen feelings of isolation, allow elders to access information about improving their own health, and incorporate countless other insights aimed to improve the quality of living. Realizing all the benefits that come with this computer knowledge, seminars in computer education are available to senior citizens. For example, “Al Marcovitz, the computer coordinator at Maret School, in the District of Columbia, has set up a project where seniors from Iona Senior Services can learn about computers at Maret's (pronounced "Mahray") Macintosh computer lab. Seniors, paired with students, explore and enjoy various programs on the Mac. Al's project has had press coverage in the Washington Post, and has garnered considerable interest by those interested in "inter-generational computing projects." Elders will be more willing to learning technologies in a comfortable environment and, with that being said, these seminars can be seen as a step in the right direction to increasing the amount of technologically literate seniors.
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