Grandma’s on Facebook
By Noelle Kurth, At Home Personal Care, Scottsdale LIVING WELL Magazine
“Every time I get on Facebook I feel like I am having a conversation with all of my grandchildren. I feel so close to you and feel like I’m apart of your everyday lives,” my 80-year-old grandmother told me the last time I saw her, “and I love all of your pictures!
In my experience, conversations like the one I had with my grandma are common. In fact, according to www.checkfacebook.com, seniors are the fastest growing demographic to sign up for Facebook. More than 15 million seniors are logging on to Facebook everyday. Why are so many seniors flocking to Facebook? The answer is simple, to stay connected.
Social media has become a buzz term used in everyday conversation, but many are still confused by its meaning. So what exactly is social media? According to Wikipedia, social media is the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogue. Some types of social media are forums, message boards, blogs, wikis and podcasts. Social media applications include Google, Facebook, and YouTube.
Facebook is not the only online outlet connecting seniors to their families and communities. YouTube, Linkedin and Google have also made it possible to explore from the comfort of your own home. YouTube has videos on everything from cooking recipes to tips on knot tying. Linkedin has played a large role in establishing professional relationships and finding old colleagues. Google is a one-stop-shop to search for practically anything.
At Home Personal Care is in the forefront of the social media for seniors movement. One of our clients, Ann* 90, has 13 children and over 78 grandchildren. Her family literally lives all over the world, and everyone wants to know how grandma is doing. We created an email account for her and linked it up to an online calendar that her family can access to see her day-to-day activities. This has helped to keep the family in touch and gives a sense of comfort to those family members who cannot visit, yet know that Ann is being taken care of.
For some accessing and utilizing social media comes naturally, but for others it’s a little more complicated. At Home Personal Care understands that sometimes the hardest part is just getting started. We recently sponsored our first social media training in May in Scottsdale that captured the attention of the local press, TV and newspaper. Our plan is to continue to offer this training around the Valley.
The training event was created to teach seniors how to stay in contact with family and friends by teaching them how to open a Facebook account, find friends and family, how to “like” pages of interest, use the search bar and check their notifications. Facebook is a great way for seniors to keep their minds sharp, learn new internet skills, and stay “social”.
Please log on to our website, www.athomeprc.com, for information on upcoming “Facebook for Seniors” workshops.
Happy Searching!
Noelle Kurth is the managing partner of AT HOME Personal Care in Phoenix, Arizona.
For more information about our home care services, please call 480-497-4347.
*Names have been changed to protect client’s privacy.
