During a recent visit to a small village in Mexico I found myself playing the role of tech support to an elderly couple visiting from Canada. A friend of theirs shared with me over dinner that their email had been hacked, and they were trying to find someone who could help them. “Well,” I said, “the first thing they need to do is change their password.” An hour later I was found by the wife who handed me her phone with pleas and notes of desperation to help her “fix” it.
Honestly, the first step was just trying to understand what “it” needed fixing! My queries were all returned with blank stares of total confusion.
I ended up taking a jaunt over to their casita the following day to spend a couple of hours helping them reset (and document!) passwords, reconnecting email accounts, managing cloud storage options, updating contact options for their social media account, and explaining how a VPN works. Well, trying to explain, anyway. It left me with such a worry for this delightfully kind, 80 (!) year old couple – traveling the world, using mobile devices, posting videos and photos to social media, and doing everything in their power to stay connected, stay safe, and stay engaged. It made me want to help them all the more, but the more I tried to explain the differences between an account ID, an email address, a username, a password, and how sometimes an email address is also your account ID or username…oh…I could tell their minds were swirling, and nothing was making sense, let alone sinking in.
I tried to leave them with what I thought might be the most important safety precaution they could take, “Don’t ever click on any links. If you receive something that seems scary, go directly to your account page to check activity.” Alas, even this suggestion stretched their comprehension, as they then asked if they could “click” on posts in Facebook. How to explain what a dangerous “link” is when one doesn’t really understand what a link even is?
My mind jumped to problem solving on my walk home through the village. Breaking down the components of how to explain to those who may not be technically savvy, or, understand how data relationships make things work, in a way that even these elder Boomers could comprehend. No offense to all you Boomers who are totally dialed in! I know you’re out there, and frankly, I’m so impressed! I don’t think our society or our culture has made it easy, and for those who are choosing to at least try instead of just deny, I applaud them. It’s easy to see how it might be easier to just check out. It makes me wonder how many truly experience the innovations in technology as empowering them, or, if it just creates one more impediment they need to navigate.
Of course, the recent proposed changes to Social Security is going to impact this generation even more. As one driven to empower and enable others through data and technology, I think we need to do better. Data and tech shouldn’t be scary, and it shouldn’t make victims of those who are less savvy.
So, now I’m reaching out to parents, in-laws, aunts and uncles to offer my support, and working on a way to explain how it all connects, and how they stay safe, while also staying connected.
Would love to hear any recommendations others may have on how they’ve helped their elderly or luddite-like loved ones?
