That's my Dad who is 86 and who calls me on Skype. In fact, a few weeks ago, I forgot to turn off my skype connection during a workshop and my laptop was being projected on a screen. It was about the time that several participants in the session who were close to retirement age started to complain that they were too old to participate in social media. I swear I didn't secretly twitter on my cell phone to my dad to call in! The last time I visited with my Dad at home, I showed him youtube, videoblogging, and how to set up a blog. He was interested and enjoyed his few minutes of fame on YouTube.
Last weekend, I visited, and showed him how to set up a Facebook profile. He was curious about Facebook and poked around, but declared it "cognitive overload."
Now, my Dad has been a computer user since the early 1980s (as long as I have), so he is probably more geeky than your average octogenarian, but there are many elderly who are not. That's why programs like the Oasis program recently reported by NTEN are important to watch.
That is so wonderful....could make such a difference in the lives of the elderly who have physical limitations.
Posted by: Marianne Richmond | November 18, 2007 at 06:26 PM
Very cool. I'm seeing more and more folks beyond retirement age finding a comfort zone on the internet. The easier it is to interface with the web -- and, therefore, each other -- the smaller the generational gap will be in the coming years.
I have a hard time imagining that I'd be as "out of touch" when I'm in my 80s as my grandparents were at that age. I think the web-enabled populace will be much better equipped to evolve WITH technology, not in spite of it.
Posted by: Justin Kownacki | November 18, 2007 at 06:29 PM
My mom is 83 and has been on Facebook for several months -- she's very smart, but not at all into tech or geek stuff. But once we set her up on e-mail about 10 years ago, she fell in love with her computer. I've been wondering if she might be the oldest person on Facebook, but your dad has her beat. Now I've helped Mom start a Tumblr blog. She gives me hope that I'll still be as mentally active and interested in the world when I'm her age.
Posted by: Connie Reece | November 18, 2007 at 08:24 PM
My grandparents are 83 and 84 and actively travel throughout the US in their stylish Winnebago -- never leaving home without the laptop. While keeping a keen eye out for WiFi serviced campgrounds, they ready themselves to check the latest news on friends' MySpace pages where the latest travel itineraries are posted.
Posted by: Donna Arriaga | November 20, 2007 at 06:36 PM