Grandma's and iPads

Anna Hernandez 

CAS 283 Blog 

  

This past Christmas, my family and I had gotten my seventy two year old grandmother an iPad. It was interesting to observe her reaction to it, due to the fact that this was a gift she was not expecting. When receiving it, she asked what the purpose of the device was. I remember my mom explaining to her all of the things she can do on it so much more easily. For example my grandmother loves to read books, is in a book club, and subscribes to magazines to buy more books. My mom suggested that instead of buying the books, she can just buy them online and read them on there, which would be more efficient  for her. My grandmother kept on insisting to us that she didn't know how to use it and looked at the iPad as if it was so foreign to her. It was really interesting. I went over to her to try and explain how to use it. Even though it was as simple as a swipe to login, she was still hesitant to be involved with the technology. On top of receiving and iPad, we had also installed Wifi to the house so that of course it would be compatible with the iPad. She was very overwhelmed. One thing that I find hysterical is the fact that my seventy two year old grandmother texts. The funniest part is the way she texts. Every time that she will text me back, she signs off at the end like you would in a letter. She will respond the the message and end it with a, “love grandma”. Not only that but her abbreviations are hard to understand as well. It is easy to tell the age difference between an older person texting versus a younger person texting. Even though she is new to this technology, she is willing and wanting to be a part of the world today. 

So I asked myself why it was necessary to now introduce her to the latest and greatest technology there is today. I came up with one answer, being that it was easier for us younger generation people, including my parents, for my grandparents to essentially join in. It was also the fact that technology made simple or complex tasks so much easier, so in a sense it was beneficial for my grandmother to learn how to do things in todays world. Phew Research Center states that 77% of older adults aged 65+ had a cell phone and 59% were internet users. This indicates that over time and especially in recent years, the number of older adults in online communication has been increasing. Phew Research Center also states that older adults with a higher income tend to go online more than those who have a lower income.“Among seniors with an annual household income of $75,000 or more, 90% go online and 82% have broadband at home. For seniors earning less than $30,000 annually, 39% go online and 25% have broadband at home. Fully 87% of seniors with a college degree go online, and 76% are broadband adopters. Among seniors who have not attended college, 40% go online and just 27% have broadband at home” (Phew Research Center. pewinternet.org). 

I think it is nice to have older adults be involved in online communication because it allows for an increased amount of communication between the older adult and their peers. They also receive access to the wonders of technology and can benefit from its uses. 

Smith, Aaron. Older Adult and Technology Use. Phew Research Center. April 3rd, 2014. April 21st, 2015.http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/04/03/older-adults-and-technology-use/