How the Elderly Benefit from Using Advanced Technology

Marlon Nathaniel Chandra G.12
There’s countless times where I had to be called by my grandparents to help them with their smartphones, one time I had to photoshop an image for my grandma’s activity, the next I had to help my grandpa with his phone since the text font was too large.

I would say that it’s normal to have grandparents who are not that deep into the tech world. Most of the elderly refrains from using smartphones, laptops, tablets, etc. One of the reasons would be because they came from a generation that didn’t have any access to the internet, they didn’t even have phones, back then they used cable lines and old telephones to call each other.

There are courses to help the elderly to introduce them to these advanced technologies. They can reduce the stress of me having to feel like I failed when I don’t know how to help with their smartphones sometimes. Furthermore, it would be easier for them to communicate with other people such as us. It can also help with tracking possible medications that need to be taken, or track their fitness activities.

There are many benefits to using advanced technologies, but how do we pitch them to the elderly? Well, people tend to not like things that are complex, so, teach them the basics before diving into the harder aspects of the technologies, touch screens can be hard to use, passwords and usernames can be hard to remember and confusing, and menus and user interfaces can be overwhelming. The benefits to using advanced technologies outweighs the negatives. You can track possible relatives, call people easily, send your location to other people, and alot more.

As Billy Cox says, “Technology should improve your life… not become your life.” It has benefits, but using it too much can be bad for you, the elderly, or anyone.