Why shouldn’t older people get into technology?

Just because you are older, it does not mean you cannot understand technology as young people would want you to think. With many online variations controlling our lives, it can become quite confusing when you want to interact with the rest of the world.

But many older people do not realise that they have a lot of time in their hands when they retire to get to learn how to be ‘techno savvy’.  The reason why young people understand more about technicalities because they spend more time on their phones and computers.

Older people have a bigger advantage, not just the time, but the money to spare to buy the latest gadgets and learn to control them.

It is not just online purchasing that seems to confuse many older people, but the everyday tasks that now seems to make our lives easier.

For example, the security cameras that protect our houses, navigational systems in our cars or even solar lights that cut down our electricity bills. These items are now part of our everyday lives and young people do not have ‘special brains’ to understand them. The sooner older people make a better use of their time, instead of snoozing in their living room during the day time, the quicker they can get back to their lives.

After years of working, older people need to get busy to stay alert on their retirement. Otherwise, like a knife that is never sharpened, it can become blunt and it is no use to anyone. For young people, technology is something that is imposed on them to carry their office tasks to stay employed. Older generations who claim that they do not need to be familiar with smart technology, are wrong.

In order to keep abreast with the world around them to stop the brain wasting away, they need to stay active with the technology. It will keep them mentally alert and in a better mood.

Voice active and home touchpads can do many tasks at home and make life easier for older people who are not very mobile. They can spend time to learn how to operate these devices and have fun while doing it. They can also make retirement very fulfilling instead of doing nothing and waiting for hours to tick away for another night to go back to bed.

As we get older, safety is of prime importance. It is never difficult to set up a monitoring system in the house to detect gas leaks or electrical shocks. Records of hospitals in Oman show that many accidents at home are caused by faulty wiring or fires in the kitchen. Since older people spend most of their time at home, the risks are high.

There are now many safety warning features that can be set up at home which can be ordered online. With plenty of time in their hands, older people can get busy to learn how to set them up for their safety. It also feels good to set up something that works and will keep you safe.
Staying in shape is another thing older people can get into to make themselves, not only useful, but healthy. Whether jogging or lifting weights, they can get fit by setting up their own home equipment. Again, they are available online.

Getting into technology can boost productivity and ensure fulfilling and enjoyable life in later life instead of staying at home doing nothing and allow the body to decay faster. In conclusion, technology is not built for just young people but for the older generation, too.  

  Article by : Saleh Al-Shaibany. All views expressed are personal.