Classes help senior citizens overcome initial fears and embrace new technology.
Use of email, Skype, podcasts, mobile phones and digital cameras are things which might have baffled older generations up to now, but Dublin City Council and Age Action Ireland have joined forces to help senior students overcome their fears.
Dublin City Council has provided 15 of their sheltered housing complexes with computers and broadband. Age Action Ireland is providing the technology training. New skills aside, it’s also a way of helping older people stay in touch with family who live overseas,
I would like to be able to be very good at the Skype.
Drogheda Partnership have gone a step further, providing gadget classes for older people. Now they are confidently using mobile phones and digital cameras.
Two ladies in the Drogheda class were unanimous in their agreement that technological challenges can be overcome,
Anyone can learn yes...if they put their mind to it.
Proof there really is no age limit on new technology, residents of the TLC Centre in Santry have found a new use for their 72 inch TV – virtual sports. One lady interviewed has a definite goal in mind,
My grandchildren, I have to beat them.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 15 April 2008. The reporter is Laura Fletcher.
