Getting Elderly People Online


cc from en.wikipedia.org
This is a thought I've had which I feel strongly about. I want to start helping elderly people get on-line so they can write and be heard. This will help them express themselves and have people to interact with on a daily level. Elderly people have so much to talk about and so many experiences to share, it's a shame most of them are ignorant or afraid of using the Internet. What we should do when we can, is help them not be afraid of the Internet and help them understand it can be a place where they can share their wisdom and stories and interact with people.

As a lawn care man, I work with mostly elderly people. They are usually women, who don't use the Internet. If they do have the Internet, they don't know how to use it in a way to tell their stories and interact with people. The generation before the Boomers are dying off everyday, they are in their late 70s and into their 90s now. Their wholesome influence and Biblical world view isn't influencing the world they are living in anymore, and I feel they are needed to help these younger generations gain wisdom.

In the type of selfish urban post-industrial society we are in in America, we no longer have room for the elders in our lives and communities. Their children aren't willing to take them in and so they are sent off to retirement homes and care facilities to die. The result is that most of the older generation are tucked away out of sight, not able to interact with society any longer. If they are in their homes still, they are isolated and those who do come around usually are too busy to really talk and listen to them. The realities of our modern lives and the ever increasing slave labor force has most people speeding around trying to make ends meet, not having the time to really care what the elderly people have to say.

I have a customer who I am trying to work with and get connected to the Internet. What I tell her is to not think the Internet is something you can't be part of. These elderly people think the Internet is something they can't figure out and so are afraid of it. Their ignorance of how to use it and their doubt of whether they could successfully navigate it and use it, lead them to just simply not use the Internet. This is a shame, because they are missing a great opportunity to share their wisdom, and society is losing out on their influence.

cc from flickr.com
What I'm trying to do is encourage elderly people that the Internet is a place where they can write and share their wisdom and life stories. It is a place where they can interact with others in a way they aren't able to now. The point I try to emphasis is, they are not too old to learn new things. Believing in people and challenging them to do things they think are impossible, is the way to bring to life dormant dreams and reinvigorate an old person's sense of well-being.


So, I leave you with this thought. We all have elderly people in our lives, and what I propose is let's help them get on-line and share their wisdom and stories before they pass away. Once they pass away their stories and wisdom will pass away too. Yet, if it's on-line it will be there for everyone to have until the Internet is gone. By getting elderly people on-line, our society will be better off, and we will install a new sense of well-being and dignity in the older people who feel they aren't needed or wanted in society any more. What do you think, are you with me?  


This may be a helpful book, for elders and all of us:



Comments

  1. What a great idea!! I will spread the word to help any one I can tell their stories! Especially the older generation! What they could tell! We need them, we need their help and wisdom! Thank you for getting it started!

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  2. Great, glad you think so too. Thanks for coming by and reading, commenting. We all have elderly in our lives we can help if they are open to it, and I just know many of them would really enjoy certain writing destinations like Hubpages.

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