How to Advise a Senior Citizen on Internet Connectivity

Explaining the Internet to a senior citizen can often be tantamount to explaining the universe to a young child. But a computer is only as effective as the bandwidth of connectivity, i.e., the weakest link in the chain limits all other features and attributes. People in general and especially older people will quickly lose interest and avoid the frustration of waiting for some vast and complex web page to download requiring flash upgrades every few months. Here are a few steps you can follow to minimize discomfort for your senior friend or relative and make you a hero at the same time.

Instructions

1. Determine the baseline for your senior’s computer hardware and software as well as his technology competence level—but in a very objective, nonjudgmental way. There is no point in trying to discuss what to do until you can establish rapport with him at his level. In general, you don’t try to teach and old dog new tricks, so keep your communications very basic and consider all factors equally rather than making assumptions about what is acceptable and what you think should work best for him.

2. Make an attempt to relate to the issue from his perspective. What is important to him may be quite different from your priorities. If your conclusion is that he needs a new computer and a high-speed Internet connection, which is the obvious conclusion in any similar discussion, then perhaps you are being more of a problem to him than help. Many senior citizens are not interested in installing a cable or satellite service for $30 or more, and perhaps DSL is not available. He has seen the television ads for $8 or $10 connectivity, so you will need to justify spending more than this. Also, many seniors detest the influx of advertising they receive whenever they connect to a website of any kind or to AOL, so you will need to think through that aspect as well.

3. Identify the amount of money your senior would be willing to invest in his next upgrade. Often the difference between a standard dial-up connection and AOL is too much. This is a very reasonable assessment for someone who only downloads and sends email, but perhaps he will not understand the convenience of being able to view many online services through a filtered, well-managed portal. Adding more horsepower by upgrading his computer or acquiring another one won’t make much difference if the connection is standard dial-up. In general, if dial-up is the plan, AOL will probably get him the best performance.

4. Be very precise about assessing the key gating factors to performance. The gateway is the 1st factor. The 2nd is the modem, i.e., cable or standard modem. Third is the system memory, 4th the processor. This order is not definitive, but it shows the idea of communicating effectively and analytically with your senior friend or relative. Sometimes adding another memory stick is all you need to do. Rarely if ever upgrade the operating system. Processors are highly overrated and underused. So the bottom line is the connection and the modem.

5. Configure his system for maximum performance. Performance can be significantly enhanced simply by filtering out graphical downloads. Another simple strategy is to teach him how to work offline, i.e., open the site, replicate with the web server, then walk away while the command executes. Then come back in a few minutes and work offline answering email and browsing loaded pages. After completing his work, replicate again and go on to an activity unrelated to computers. (This is a good example of where additional memory on an older computer will make a big difference with minimal expense and effort.)

6. Negotiate Internet service fees. The $25-30 entry fee for AOL can easily be negotiated, especially for use by a senior citizen. Smaller providers may be even more flexible, but their service may not be dependable and their domain could collapse at any moment. Look for service providers whose life cycle is predictable and stable. Changing email addresses is annoying and inconvenient.

7. In the case where you are recommending significant equipment or service upgrades, make sure you think through his key functional requirements end to end. If he spends $4000 on a new system but keeps his dial-up connection, he won’t be satisfied (or at least won’t receive a reasonable premium in service for the amount of money spent). Remember the priorities for performance mentioned earlier in this article. Also, if the computer is high-maintenance but was purchased from a high-volume warehouse operation, customer service will be lacking. Keep it simple and make it easy.