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Education Software Hardware

Computer Resources for Older People? 39

Posted by Cliff from the educating-your-elders dept.
Your_Mom asks: "My mother has recently become involved in computing. She has familiarized herself with many of the basics like: going to certain web sites, typing out simple Word documents, and so forth. However, she has recently expressed interest in learning more. Where can I find resources for older computer users, teaching simple things like word processing, spreadsheets, searching the web, etc.?"
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Computer Resources for Older People? More

Computer Resources for Older People?

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  • Older users, really? (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Why don't you just look for information for people NEW to computers.

    Older people don't have any handicaps that keep them from using computers, bud.
    • Yes, they do. They (in general) do not wish to learn nor do they like to listen to younger people tell them what to do.

      It may be sad, but it is the truth.

      • Re:Older users, really? (Score:4, Insightful)

        by sakusha ( 441986 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @05:49AM (#8712260)
        Maybe you're wrong, maybe they just don't want to listen to YOU. With that sort of attitude, I wouldn't blame them. I remember having trouble with an older student, back when I was about 19 years old and teaching BASIC classes at a computer store. I guarantee you the problem was MY attitude, not the student's. Once the boss gave me a reality check, we got along fine and she was an excellent student.

        You are forgetting the original question, the guy's mom ASKED for instruction. She's predisposed to learn new things.
        • I do not have an attitude. I just expect that when people say 'yes, I understand' that they mean what they say.

          You do have to admin that (in general) people get more cranky and less likely to change as they age. For example, I can show my father how to use his computer with no problem, but other famly members (because they refuse to remember from 1 day to the next) I have trouble with.

          And I didn't forget the original question. It is my other family members that ask for help/teaching. My father doesn't
    • Older people don't have any handicaps that keep them from using computers, bud.

      On the contrary, see Meeting the Challenge: Training an Aging Population to Use Computers [arizona.edu]

      Try your local public library. Most have taken up the challenge to get older adults on computers.

  • Resources (Score:3, Funny)

    by OC_Wanderer ( 729511 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @03:01AM (#8711697)
    Simple: google.com

    Not so simple: Having her understand what she's reading.

  • Lots of possibilities... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rusty0101 ( 565565 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @03:29AM (#8711818) Homepage Journal
    There is the idiot's and dummies guides.

    Have her tune into TechTV for the Call for Help show.

    Get her the "professor" CD self study guides.

    Have her use what knowledge she has about writing documents in Word (write, notepad, whatever) to generate a list of the things she has questions about, that you then turn around into a Wiki to explain those concepts. Show her how to edit and add more questions to the Wiki, and see where things go from there.

    Check with the community education people in your area to see if they have courses that would interest her.

    If you have gone through all of that, and still have nothing that works, spend some time, sitting with her and asking her what she is doing. Also ask her if there is something she would like to do, but doesn't know how to do that.

    Different people learn in different ways, at different speeds, and with different intentions. If she is already getting as much out of the computer as she is interested in, be comfortable with that, and let her do her thing.

    -Rusty
  • AFAIK the 'for dummies' series of computer books are a quite good start for beginners - easy to understand (but just the basics).
    Take a look here [amazon.com]

  • How condesending do you want? (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Would you like it in a new, simpler language that even old people and women can understand? Frankly Im disapointed. 9 years after getting our first computer mom plays solitaire and goes to the New York Times Crossword puzzle page where she manages to loose her password on a regular basis. She doesnt surf the web, and still doesnt understand cut, copy and paste...

  • It may seem cold but... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by no longer myself ( 741142 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @03:57AM (#8711956)
    Ignore her is the best option. Don't offer her any advice if you can help it. Don't offer to help her in any way. This may seem difficult, because you do love your mother. (I know, I love mine too.)

    Believe it or not, unless you are specially trained in training people (and even then it's "iffy"), you can actually make it worse for them.

    Many times people (and more frequently older people) equate quality, value, and cost. and since you (the good child that you are) are only going to provide assistance non-gratis, your help will be considered the same value as your commensuration.

    The person (parent) eventually figures this out on their own and finds someone else to help them. Now they've come to their own (cold) conclusion that you just aren't up to the task. Thanks, Mom!

    I'm all for free (libre) software and information, but sometimes people have to pay good money before they learn anything. To quote an episode of Matlock: "I charge my clients a lot of money so they'll do what I tell them."

    I'm not suggesting you charge your Mother. I'm suggesting you find someone who will.

    Then stay out of it. Make up some excuse about how your employer made you sign a non-compete contract that prohibits you from showing even relatives how to use a computer. Whatever it takes!

    Ultimately, your mother will find what she needs on her own, and you'll gain valuable insite into what it's like to "let go" too. ;.)

    • I have been thru this scenario. My Mother-in-law is now 76 years old. I originally bought her a used laptop to use e-mail, due to certain phone bills that were killing us. (The laptop was 1/2 the cost of a particular month's phone bill.)

      She is interested in the machine, but due to her lack of formal education, afraid of looking foolish because she doesn't know how to do something on the computer.

      Find a particular program that she doesn't already use that interests her, and you can add to what she knows

    • Re:It may seem cold but... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by shaka999 ( 335100 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @12:18PM (#8714733)
      Oh BS!

      I suppose the cost of raising a child and helping put them through school wasn't enough. I'm not sure what kind of relationship the original author has with his/her parents but mine would be just the opposite. If I tell them something they would believe me over someone else no matter what they paid the person. I guess it comes down to a matter of trust.

      I've went through the same thing with my parents. Help them get the hardware. Set them up with useful programs and show them some basics then let them play for a while. If they really enjoy it they will come back with many questions. I know I was more than happy to share my hobby (and work) a bit with my parents. At least they have a little more understanding of what I do.
  • As people have mentioned, the Idiot guides etc can make a useful starting point in learning things like spreadsheets or slightly more advanced wordprocessing and another useful avenue can be community learning classes, but ultimately if they don't have a reason to make use of what they've learned (and I mean at least weekly use, preferably daily), they simply won't retain the knowledge.

    If you can come up with something they could do that would a) make their life easier than it presently is and b) makes use
  • In the interests of reclaiming your free time, and no longer being ad-hoc tech support, I recommend you immediately:
    a) install some custom software that will intermittently close random programs
    b) reset the web-browser home page to goatse (or some distasteful alternative)
    and
    c) install windows XP

    (j/k... installing XP would be mean)

    Gentlemen....BEHOLD!

  • Granny OS (Score:2, Insightful)

    by TheMESMERIC ( 766636 )
    Yeah I had the idea (or probably not, since we're seldom original)

    Of making a Granny OS - very simple safe - cute and secure.

    There is one slightest problem ... I can't program kernels specially.

    Maybe in 5 years time!
  • Here in the Netherlands, there is a special series "$FOO$ for senior citizens". There are books on every major home application, like Windows, web browsing and Office. If you can find such books in your bookstore, you mat give these a try.

    der Joachim
  • I've always thought this guys (The Video Professor [videoprofessor.com]) videos would be a good way for a "newbie" to learn the basics of Windows computing. I've thought about getting them more my Mom who's kind of in the same boat.

  • Knoppix (Score:3, Insightful)

    by ReadAholic ( 245150 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @06:53AM (#8712421)
    Set up an old box with no net access and an unused/unneeded hard drive. Show them how to boot from the Knoppix CD. Show them point and click, copy/paste, where different program types are etc..

    Tell them they cant hurt anything because:

    A. Everything in this box is getting scrapped or is going to gather dust for 5 years.

    B. It isnt connected to the network.

    C. Everything they do ( except messing with the hard drive - formatting writing something to it etc.. HD is surplus etc..) will dissapear the next time it is shutdown.

    Then ask what they wants to start doing, point the way, and stand back.

    Encourage them to explore, and get them to laugh when something doesnt work. Then they will become a lot more comfortable with strange and cryptic programs and commands and not fear the computer.

    ( Yes, treat them like a small child learning something new. Basically, that is what is happening. )

    If they do something they want to save, use a floppy or a USB key to save it.
  • One of the biggest problems I have found while teaching/interacting with older people, especially related to IT, is the lack of visualization.
    This is not to say they dont have the cerebral matter, but the simple fact that they have not been as exposed to technology and technology-related products as we have been since childhood. Point in case: How many of mothers (and I mean in their fifties and later) have you seen taking a go at X-box or playstation? Or trying to figure out the controls of the new DVD
  • Check out the local community college or university senior ed. offerings.

    We have a very large contingent of the blue haired that meet weekly at the college I attend to study everything from basic office productivity packages to advanced digital scanning and photography.

    Going this route has several benefits:

    * Money is involved, creating a sense of "buy in".
    * What is being studied is used regularly, so that even if she goes home and gets hooked into NeverWinter Nights or Yahoo games, she'll use
  • Many community/junior colleges offer basic computer classes for just this reason. While many 'older' users may be embarassed to take a public class, it would put her in touch with similar people and may even help her learn to boot...
  • Try searching Amazon.com for used college text books. Some of the intro level class textbooks for non CS majors might be usefull. Of course a lot of this depends on what exactly she wants to learn (ie. more advanced use of word, does she want to learn how to make a website, etc).
    Another good idea is to teach her how to use to web to learn more about topics. If her google-fu is strong then the rest will follow.
    There are also a number of newgroups and mailing lists that are available for people who don'

  • Your mom is gonna be scared away from all forms of computer use when she has her first pop-up barrage with stretched bumholes and whatnot. So, get Mozilla.

    Just something to consider...

  • Special opportunities and challenges.

    The challenges can be special. First, vision. Many seniors have bifocal reading glasses and/or varifocal near-far glasses. Neither is great for reading a computer screen. If they don't have good computer glasses, it is quite normal for them to

    • not even see a dialog box right in front of them
    • not read the screen
    • tilt their head upward whenever they need to read the screen
    • be unable to read the smaller print

    A large (19 or 21 inch) screen with moderate resolution (

  • The public library where I work, for example, offers introductory classes, as well as books and instructional videos. Some of my course materiels are available here [lib.oh.us]. A public library where your mom lives might have similar programs; it's worth checking. Also, school districts sometimes offer adult-ed programs that might prove interesting. Then there's usenet...

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