Not just another pencil: Computer-mediated communication from a senior's point of view.
From Houston, Texas, John Daut gives us a definitive and nostalgic account of No-Cost Fun in the 1930s. Hard to imagine for some perhaps, but there is an entire generation of people who never had manufactured toys, whose only board game was checkers, and who found the following entertaining:
"The young of all species are born knowing how to play and almost all of them are born wanting to. Children growing up in the great depression era were no different, except the entertainment we had were of little or no cost. Most of the time we wanted to play bad enough to invent our own games. All of us, both boys and girls, played no cost outdoor games.
"There was Blind Manıs Buff where the person who was It would be blindfolded and have to find the other players who had to stand in one place until all were found.
"Hide and Seek, was a game where the one who was It hid his eyes at the base and counted, usually to one hundred, while the others hid. When the count was finished, It would hunt for the ones who were hiding. Each time It found someone, he had to beat them back to the base or they got in free. It was better played after dark.
"Tin Can Up was a version of hide and seek where a tin can was thrown and the one who was It had to run to get it and set it back on the base. The other players ran and hid while It went after the can. Each time It found someone, he had to beat them back and touch the can before they did to put them out. If they beat It they would throw the can. Then the thrower and all who were caught so far would hide again.
"Hop Scotch was mostly a girls game, but just about all boys played when the other boys weren't looking. First a grid of numbered squares was drawn on the sidewalk with chalk. You had to start, standing on one foot and hop from square to square in order without missing one or stepping on a line. If you missed one or stepped on a line you lost your turn. You had a marker (rock) that you advanced one square each time you successfully completed the grid to keep score.
"In May I, all of the players would line up about 20 or 30 feet in front of the one who was It. It would tell each player in turn to move forward with something like John, take one giant stepı or Mary, take two baby steps.ı If the player moved before saying, May Iı he or she would loose their turn. The first one to It was the winner and was It for the next round.
"Simon Says was very similar to May I. It would tell each player in turn to move forward with something like John, Simon Says take one giant stepı or Mary, Simon Says take two baby steps.ı If It didnıt include Simon Saysı in the command and the player moved, he lost his turn.
"Red Rover was a contact sport, where the players would form two lines facing each other about 10 or 15 feet apart. All the players in each line would grip hands and take turns calling to the other side. Red Rover, Red Rover let John (or Mary or whoever) come over.ı The one called would run and try to break through the line between two players in the opposite line.
"In Tag, It had to touch one of the other players and he or she would have to be It. Another version was Wood Tag where a player was safe as long as he was touching wood such as a tree or house or light pole".
Did he forget Capture the Flag and Prisoner's Base, or were those games perhaps not in John's Texas schoolyard itinerary? His Web site contains much more, though, taking the reader to times and places that will never return, except through this personal recall on the Internet.
Hundreds of Web sites, mostly commercial, are aimed at seniors, and there are as many more sites about seniors, but the most fascinating are the ones we build ourselves, for each other, and for the betterment of the Internet in general. They add a needed dimension.
"We find the information we need by surfing the Web, meet like-minded friends in chat rooms, visit distant lands, find lost relatives, study, investigate, and play games. Some of us are frail, confined to wheelchairs, or bed, but we still "get around" with our 'puters. As well as all we gain from the Web, we also provide."
While elderly people around the world have found freedom and friendship on the Internet, the Web sites they build and maintain provide information unique to their generation.
Visit the Taj Mahal, Niagara Falls, Strasbourg, Brazil, Hawaii, take an Aegean cruise or an African safari courtesy of Akio Yakata's formidable travelogue s, photographs and movie clips.
This talented and much traveled senior netizen takes pictures on his journeys to far away places and puts them up on his Web page. There, you can see Heathrow or Gatwick, for instance, before you ever make the flight to London, and get an idea of what a Paris subway looks like, or a market place in India.
"Let's change a point of view" was the original title of Akio's Web site. Born in Kyushu, Japan, this retired industrialist had been manager of the Toshiba computer business and Fuji Xerox, and a board member of CSK Corp. and J-Phone Tokyo Co. Ltd.
Akio Yakataıs "change a point of view" concept is based on his variance from the traditional pictures that tourists usually take. The ones he comes home with, and provides for the world on his Web site, expose a different view. Akio not only photographs the main attractions, he adds surrounding shots, including sights seldom seen by visitors.
Carrying only a shoulder bag, Akio travels alone, usually taking only two days at a time away from his large three generation family. His photos provide armchair travel for those who will never be able to make the voyages themselves, and valuable hints for those who follow his footsteps to destinations around the world.
A nice example of seniors taking the time to provide a service was the Ask the Doctors Web site, thought up by Peter Jacob, a retired engineer in Braeside, Ontario. Recovering from a stroke, he started by contacting a doctor in his native Germany, and a few others in Canada and the U.S. He persuaded them to take turns answering medical questions that members would send in to a Special Interest Group (SIG) on National Capital Freenet.
As his SIG became more and more popular and was occupying too much of his time, Peter asked me to help. I turned it into an interactive Web site on the Flora Community Web and within a few months we had over 100 doctors involved, from 27 countries.
"Depression and anxiety
"I`m a 28 year old English male - been through two redundancies through company liquidation and also a failed relationship of three years. My confidence has lapsed and I developed a bad tremor (hands particularly ) and generally socially wasn`t myself. I felt distanced and uncomfortable around large groups of people. My doctor prescribed propanalol for my anxiety and I have also been prescribed fluoxetine (which I do not take any more) . I am suffering from depression or anxiety. I am not the positive outgoing individual I used to be. I find my anxiety is heightened when shopping, socializing etc and sometimes it almost feels like panic. It is completely bewildering and upsetting. Do you have any advice?"
"Answer by Olli Sallinen MD, Helsinki
"I understand well how your situation is. I highly recommend you to go to psychotherapy. I use together with other specialists psychoanalysis but it's not so important what the name of it is. It must be professional and you must feel comfortable and have a feeling of confidence towards the therapist. It hurts at the beginning. It takes some years and afterwards you understand. It as well will be of great help for you to understand other people. To see what they mean when they say so. And it will give you the possibility to help other people with similar troubles."
"DISCLAIMER: The material contained here should not be considered a substitute for your physician. These are only general guidelines to help you think about the medical possibilities. You are encouraged to consult your own health care provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition. To find other suggested answers to your question, refer to the Ask the Doctors Web site which includes a complete index of questions and answers at http://www.flora.org/ask-doctor."
Hundreds of questions were coming in every week, and the doctors gave advice on medication, therapy, exercise, diet, and a long list of other useful topics. I was invited to talk about the project at a medical conference in San Francisco. For fear of losing their insurance, despite our accurately worded and legally correct disclaimer, some of the American doctors eventually had to abandon giving advice on the Internet. Although the Web site became much less active, the complete index of previous questions and answers remains available on Flora, so Peter Jacob's initiative is still providing variant solutions for people with medical problems.
Can access to the Internet improve the psychosocial wellbeing of frail older seniors? This question was explored at the McGill Centre for Studies in Aging. A paper on the subject, by Fiona Clark and Silva M. Straka is available online.
Their study discovered that frail older seniors are at risk of being marginalized and socially excluded. The theory was that providing them with Internet access could help narrow the gap between these frail seniors and society, enhance their self-esteem, reduce their social isolation, and promote mental health by providing mental stimulation and the opportunity to learn new information and skills.
Funded by Canada's Office of Learning Technologies, frail seniors at three day centres and two residences in Montreal were given the opportunity to use computers and the Internet on a regular basis. Four research topics were explored:
1. Feasibility of providing human and technical resources.
2. What kinds of people participate.
3. How much and why participants use the computer.
4. Psychosocial benefits experienced by participants.
Participants were interviewed before the beginning of the project and again six months later. Other data collected included computer usage logs, questionnaires for volunteers and teachers, and a focus group for the site organizers.
After nine weeks of professional instruction, the participants were helped by volunteers for the remainder of the six months.
The participants in the study were 68 to 98 years of age, with a mean age of 85.5 years. Coming from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds and life experiences, most participants had some level of physical disability, especially vision, hand mobility and general mobility. Educational levels varied, from several who had grade 3 education to those with graduate degrees. Although participants used a variety of programs, the most popular was e-mail. Their other computer usage ranged from surfing the Internet to using Word for a variety of personal projects, and playing games.
The methodology of the McGill Centre for Studies in Aging specified that "because of the frailty and poor health of many of the participants, great care was taken to clearly explain the study and provide adequate information for a fully informed consent process." This suggests a common misconception that if a person is old and frail and in poor health, he is also likely to be mentally retarded. Typical and widespread, this notion invades many programs involving old people.
In Ottawa, as a part of National Capital Freenet's outreach program, I had volunteered to teach computer use to the people at St Patrick's Home, a residence for frail seniors. We set up a computer in the main living room and showed them how to manage e-mail. One person, a retired priest, obtained an e-mail address and a few others took this opportunity to contact old friends and relatives. Very soon thereafter, the policy on nursing homes changed and this one became inhabited for the most part by bed-ridden invalids. To serve them we would have needed computers and phone line connections in every room and many volunteers with unlimited time, all of which was impossible to attain, so the project was abandoned. Staff members at the home were willing and able to help but computer-mediated communication was not a priority, neither time nor money being available for this pursuit. Ours was not an experiment but simply a small community effort on the part of a few volunteers to share what we had discovered was a great adventure.
In the McGill experiment, one of the most important benefits the participants reported was that after receiving some computer instruction, they felt part of society again. Other key benefits were the strengthening of their social networks by e-mail, a sense of mastery and achievement, the pleasure of gaining new knowledge and just learning how computers work. For many, it provided much needed mental stimulation and challenge, while for others it was a way to fill a void in their lives. Almost all the participants reported multiple benefits in these categories.
Of the original group, 81 per cent completed the nine-week course, and after six months 53 per cent were still planning to continue computer activities. Implementing and maintaining such a program was considered to be well worth the effort in terms of benefits to the participants, the institutions, the teachers and the volunteers.
As a pilot project this study could be useful to any other group wishing to undertake a similar one, though the costs could be considerable. McGill was able to purchase two computers, monitors, desks, a printer, telephone installation, phone service, network service, supplies, paper and printing, CDs and diskettes, for $2,830.00. In addition, they paid $20 an hour plus expenses for the instructors. After the instruction period, the project was taken over by volunteers who were not paid but who felt they were recompensed because they enjoyed the contact with the seniors.
It was an excellent experiment, benefiting all participants, and a valuable pilot for any other group interested in a worthwhile project.
Another investigation of seniors on the Internet is the Seniors Canada On-line Survey, done between November 2001 and January 2002. Its objectives were to identify barriers faced by seniors in their use of information technology, and suggest ways of removing these barriers. The overall aim was "to develop strategies and concrete action plans which could help Canada's seniors gain increased access to computer skills and gain a greater degree of comfort when using the Internet."
Their methodology was to collect data, through field surveys of clients and providers, from 24 community and seniors organizations in Vancouver, British Columbia. and Ottawa, Ontario, that offer Internet and computer-based training to seniors. They also conducted a national online survey accessed through their Seniors Canada On-line Web site.
Almost all the seniors had previous computer training and were taking further training on a regular basis, mostly at their own expense, or so they thought. Although the majority said they did not receive subsidies to take the courses, many courses were in fact subsidized, such as free courses at the library. Clients who did not provide details of their sources of subsidies probably didn't know what they were.
Most of the respondents to the survey had access to a computer at home, other than the one used for training. Those who didn't said they would like to have access to a computer at the community centre, seniors centre, or apartment building lounge.
Useful aspects of the training they were receiving were the quality of instruction, learning the basics of computer operations, hands-on practice, and a few appreciated printed course materials. Difficulties noted were "using the mouse" and "reading the screen."
About two thirds said they felt "negative, afraid, apprehensive, and unconfident" before taking the course. Only 5% still felt that way after taking the course, while 92% were confident, positive, eager to learn more, and everyone agreed the course, content and instruction was satisfactory to excellent.
Some of the participants wanted more courses, upgraded computers, and also subsidies from the Federal government and Veteran's Affairs. The survey found that 79% of responding organizations in Ottawa and Vancouver provide computer and Internet basic training to seniors. This ranged from one-day workshops to sessions that last between 45 minutes and 3 hours spread over a 3 to 8 week period, 42% of the instructors being volunteers and classes ranging from 1 to 24 students. A third of the classes are free, a third charge $10 to $25, and a third charge over $30 and up to $168. Half the respondents said financial assistance is offered to those with low income.
Major factors contributing to the success of these programs are said to be patience and teaching ability of the instructors, low cost, small groups, hands-on training, a "fun" and safe environment.
Shortfalls to the programs have included lack of computers, Internet connection, and space, outdated or unreliable equipment, lack of funding, difficulty keeping volunteers and instructors and not enough class time.
Teachers listed difficulties in teaching seniors as problems manipulating the mouse, reading the screen, lack of patience, overcoming initial fear and mental block, difficulty retaining information and reading or literacy skills, in that order. The instructors also said special considerations were required to accommodate people of various cultural backgrounds.
Key components for teaching introductory computer and Internet skills to seniors were patience, easy pace, repetition of skills, encouragement, engaging participants, emphasizing basics, simplicity, suitable equipment and acoustics, simple handouts, and small class size.
Very few respondents were using hardware devices or software designed to assist those with disabilities. This field appears to be wide open and ready for development.
Financial help had come to many of the participants from Industry Canada's Community Access Program, Gates Foundation, Human Resources and Development Canada, VOLNET, provincial, municipal, college, universities and private companies including the Royal Bank.
Computer and Internet training for seniors could be improved with more computers and connections, more one on one training with peer support and follow-up, greater availability of courses, more variety, longer courses, training for volunteers, updated hardware and software, more programs and more advertising of available courses.
Other suggestions were for more computers and Internet connections in public locations, more practice time with support including in-home training, subsidized computer purchases for home use by seniors. This Seniors Canada On-line Survey revealed a mysterious, though widespread, notion that some people should be assisted in obtaining Internet service and computers simply because they are old. Most regular members of chat rooms don't have Web sites, but use e-mail to describe their early days, when asked. The gentleman we call "The Baron" gives this picture of New York life long past.
"I was born in 1927 to a 42 year old immigrant woman from Poland. Baran in Polish means Ram, but I changed it to Baron for my nom-de-plume. By the way, my mother always remained forty-two so that when asked up into the sixties, how old she was, I always answered, "Forty Two". She married my Father in about 1900. I have heard that his name, "Jata" was " Lion". It seems that in my parents' area there were clan names not "Ski" which means "belonging to". Kovalski would be belonging to the blacksmith trade.
"I was the last (I wonder why) of four sons. They were John, Chester, Felix and me. The town I was born in was Maspeth, Queens, New York. It was an old town that was settled in the sixteen hundreds by Dutch settlers. Most of the buildings were cold water flats built for the war economy of pre-civil war.
"Although we were all poor, it was a fine place to be brought up in. This town, although only 27 miles from Times Square, was rural. We had two working farms into the upper 1940s. Maspeth was surrounded by barriers that tended to isolate it from city influences. A creek and a railroad cut separated it fromBrooklyn on the western side. The Interboro Highway and cemeteries formed a barrier on the south. A railroad cut and the tracks of the Long Island Railroad on the east divided us from the rest of Queens, while on the north there was a Chinese wall of many cemeteries.
"It was so left back that one of my earliest memories was that of a Mack Truck fire engine with a boiler-fed steam pump on the back with solid rubber tires. Another was of the horse drawn , centre-drop garbage wagon that picked up the trash and an old road oiler that helped keep the dust down.
"It was idyllic for a boy growing up with its swamps, granite works, sand banks and treed areas. That flat sandbanks area is now a park. It was ideal for ball games of all sorts. I have played many games. In one corner, next to the water pump house, a local Triple A baseball team constructed wooden stands. I am proud that my big brother, Lefty (Chester), played a great first base for the Maspeth El Kays. They had one of the first illuminated night games in the thirties.
"That pump house had a huge Oak standing in front of it. Someone tied a one-inch rope to an upper limb. Talk about a swing! Also at one end of the pump house was a fifty-foot chimney. One of our rites of passage was to climb up to the top using the iron hand grips embedded in the side of the chimney.
"I went to a tough little old public school that mostly immigrant children attended. I was precocious enough to get into trouble trying to lure Lillian Tim into the clothes closet for a . . . "
The Baron's story ended abruptly and we never knew exactly why.
Visiting distant family members, researching genealogy, sightseeing and adventure are among the lures to travel that are all made simpler by advance research of the intended destination. Right down to the actual purchasing of the air or train tickets, some seniors do it all on the Internet. One Web site called "Travel Information for Senior Citizens" carries a comprehensive index of valuable resources and links to other sites designed to help old folks on the go.
"The Internet has made a big change in my life. I have met so many people through the chat rooms. And have made all my arrangements on two trips to Germany. I love doing gardening, so when I have a problem with a plant, I do all my research on the Internet, and have found my answers. I keep in touch with my family through the e-mails."
Web sites designated for old people tend to differ in their definition of terms, such as the Old Peopleıs Riding Club in Maryland, which is for equestrians over the age of 21!
Others are of dubious value, including the many lists of so-called "old peopleıs jokes" which recycle around and around the Internet. Most of them are in poor taste but still continue to arrive in everyoneıs e-mail from well meaning friends who like to keep in touch but canıt think of anything to say.
Beautiful scenes are typical on the sites of seniors. Some presentations are breathtaking. For people not familiar with the area, Patricia Beach is a Provincial Park located on the sandy shores of Lake Winnipeg, approximately one hour's drive on highway 59 north of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Bernd Riegel has produced colour photographs, both still and moving, that are well worth waiting the few seconds they take to download.
Bernd says that he discovered the computer as an interesting hobby. Right from the very beginning he was fascinated by animations, applets and things which move. With no previous experience with computers it was not easy for him to figure all these things out, but he did it all by himself and his animated Web site shows what can be done when one puts oneıs mind to it.
Australian Gerald and Canadian Lois met up on their travels and decided to get married and move to Australia. Before leaving though, they decided to see as much of Canada as possible before the closing of the tourist season in the fall of 2002, when all the parks close for the winter. Their Web site is loaded with photos to give a pictorial look at what they have seen and where they have been. They call their site Waltzing Matilda Across Canada.
Another rambling couple, Ron and Barb Hofmeister, have been living full time in their RV since 1989. They wrote a book and run a newsletter and have a Web site packed with links and updates.
These sites are special; a person who has been around for three-quarters of a century has more to say than the twenty-something netter, and there are other major differences.
When he was still in his fifties, Manitoban Bill Hillman was the oldest teacher, a 30-year veteran, at the school in his native town of Strathclair, and the only one using technology to any extent in teaching. Having integrated computers into his English, Geography, Business and History classes for years, he found access to the Internet was a natural and logical extension.
Hillman worked on his first Web site over the summer holiday in 1996, using a Netscape editor to bypass what he considered to be the drudgery of programming in HTML.
His son was already adept on the computer, and soon Bill lured his wife and daughters into the process as well. He then organized a Web page project for his school where much of his workday consisted of showing students how to create their own Web pages. The aim was to use them as learning tools, as a means of displaying findings after researching the Web, CD-ROMs and other programs.
Depending on how gung ho he got on new ideas, and depending on his workload, time spent upgrading his Web site varied, but he always kept up on the very latest technology, as a demonstration of what can be done. Now an assistant professor at Brandon University, Bill Hillman still spends a great deal of time reading other people's Web sites. Bill says:
"It's a natural extension of the consuming curiosity I have always had and which has been fed by travel and complete immersion in the media and family interaction."
Hillman corresponds with the Webmasters of other intriguing Web pages, and often finds old acquaintances and former students surfacing in cyberspace - or as he puts it "on the CyberSea." He receives about a hundred letters a day from newsgroups representing some of his specific interests developed over the years.
People who feel at home on the Internet carry a number of lists in their mailboxes. Bill Hillmanıs have included Edgar Rice Burroughs collectors, SciFi Fantasies, fellow devotees and collectors of Old Time Radio shows (Jack Benny, The Lone Ranger, Amos 'n' Andy, Fibber McGee & Molly, etc..) fans of Cliff Richard & the Shadows, Everly Brothers, Elvis, Blues, etc... and collectors of vintage guitars, books, comics, magazines, records, etc. Everyone has his own interests, some passing and sometimes enduring, all bringing masses of friends and information into their homes at the click of a mouse.
All fun and frolic aside, people like Bill Hillman also bring value to the Internet. His many disciples and converts with serious intent will populate his CyberSea for years to come.
As for benefits to the Bill Hillmans of the cyber world, his words say it neatly:
"It strokes my mind, providing another creative outlet and more immediate feeding of my ravenous curiosity. Yet another hearth for the family to gather around . . . it broadens family interests."
The Hillman family includes three teenagers. Does he find his family reads fewer books, watches less television, visits other people less, since they became engrossed with the Internet? Not this teacher. They all multi task, using the dead time while net surfing for other endeavours.
To the right of his computer is a stereo with CD, tape, and record players attached. On the left is a TV/VCR attached to cable and a satellite dish antenna. Over his shoulder is a reading lamp and his desk has pull-out trays on which he places coffee cups and snacks. There is room on the desk to prop up school assignments, books, magazines, daily papers, the telephone, and a radio, while on the walls around him are 4000 video tapes of documentaries, classic movies, and music, as well as book and magazine collections.
This is the consummate cyber scholar, but surprisingly many of the old folks who are truly at home in this medium do set themselves up in this same manner. Propped behind Mr. Hillman, in easy reach, is a Fender Tele and synthesizer, he being also a musician, and on a desk nearby is the laptop computer which he takes to work. There are times, quite often, when all of these components are active.
As a member of the demographic group called seniors, he finds it difficult to understand discrimination. On the Internet, he has found age to be meaningless, yet he has undoubtedly experienced some folks who "look upon people over a certain age as being some 'over the hill gang' who have to scrape and struggle to prove that 'hey we really can do something'."
This, he feels, is demeaning to a whole section of society.
|