How to Teach a 60-Year-Old How to Use a Computer

Teach a 60-year-old to use a computer.

While some 60-year-olds are proficient with computers, some older people may need help from their younger counterparts. If you start by teaching the most basic and common functions of a computer, your "student" will have the tools to learn how to use more complex programs and perform additional activities on their own.

Instructions

1. Demonstrate the actions you want to teach a few times, then allow your student to practice the actions himself. This is especially helpful if the older person has hearing, comprehension, or memory issues that make it harder to learn just by hearing instructions---showing him the activity allows him to mimic exactly what you've done. Take your time and have patience---remember that computers can seem foreign to many seniors.

2. If your student has vision issues, increase the size of text and icons.

3. Start with the basic actions of turning on the computer, using a mouse, and double-clicking on computer icons. Don't assume that your student already knows how to perform these actions.

4. Open a blank word processing document. Teach your student how to type letters on the page, perform basic formatting options, and save the document. A 60-year-old will likely need word-processing knowledge, whether to write letters to her children and grandchildren or to correspond with business contacts.

5. Open a web browser. Show the student how to type the addresses of basic search engine websites in the URL bar and click on links in the results. This is a quick and simple way to allow him to get familiar with browsing the Internet.

6. Establish a free email account for your student. Demonstrate how to log into the account, compose messages, read new messages, and log out. Add the email addresses of his children and grandchildren to his address book so that he can practice emailing his loved ones.

7. Bookmark the websites that your student will most likely want to visit on an ongoing basis and show him how to access those bookmarks in his browser or on the desktop. For example, you may want to help him access and navigate websites containing information regarding his pension and retirement accounts.

8. Keep your sessions short. Understand that your 60-year-old student may become fatigued by looking at the computer screen for too long. Set aside about two one-hour sessions per week to get him familiar with how to use the computer.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to explain the dangers of clicking on random Internet websites and email attachments. Install anti-virus and anti-spyware programs to protect them from issues.

References

• Find Articles: Modify Computer for Older People