Advice to seniors: don’t reject mainstream technology

I’ve just returned from a senior living community where my mother is a resident. I noticed that the residents, who are mostly in their 80s and 90s, divide into two groups.

One group is comfortable with email, mobile phones, apps, and web sites. This group is less dependent on others and more socially connected and independent.

The other group exited the technology train at some point. Most of them have phones and are able to communicate by text messages, but some more complex tech is beyond them . . . and will always be beyond them.

I’m pleased to say my mother is in the first group. Using an iPad, she accurately identifies scam emails, hones her Scrabble skills, and makes dinner reservations on the community’s app. Because she has mastered this technology, she is able to, for example, review medical information on MyChart. And her ability to use the app to make dinner reservations has helped make her a desirable companion for setting up group dinners, which are at the center of the highly vibrant social life of this senior community.

What this means for you

Each of us will reach a point where we are no longer interested in mastering the latest arcane technology. There are lots of reasons for this. Sometimes the tech isn’t mature enough and remains glitchy. Sometimes it’s too dangerous, with bad actors that can easily fool us. There is certainly no reason to get sucked into such immature tech before it has become mainstream. I don’t regret my lack of experience with virtual reality, for example — it never became mainstream and won’t for quite a while.

But when new tech does become mainstream, my advice is to embrace it, regardless of how old you are.

AI is at this point now. No one in their 60s or 70s should be ignoring AI. As you get older, if you have no confidence and familiarity with AI, you will get left behind. Now is the time to develop some facility with it.

I have no idea what the next mainstream tech will be. But I know as soon as it appears, I’ll be using it, no matter how old I am.

Because I want to be like my mom, not like the people who have to go to her to make their dinner reservations.