Recently Joan, a lovely woman in her late eighties, had just received her first ever iPhone. She bought it at the encouragement of family overseas who wanted her to be able to make and receive video calls. Joan’s new phone arrived in the mail with minimal setup instructions that confused her. She felt frustrated and lost.
When we saw Joan a week later a friend had helped her get her phone set up and running, and her face lit up as she described seeing her great grandchildren in Holland in a video call: “It was wonderful!”
Carol, a grandmother in her seventies, calls Facebook “a real blessing” because she is able to keep up with family members who live too far away to visit, and because she now hears from high school friends she would never have otherwise found. She’s delighted to be back in touch with those friends.
We have nearly endless stories like this from the seniors we work with. For those with family far away and those with limited mobility, video calls and social media are ways to stay connected. We often hear disparaging comments about how ‘virtual’ connection lacks humanness and legitimacy. But we more often hear about the utter delight of seeing the new baby only minutes after birth in a video call, or the eye-popping surprise of sending one’s very first text message, and seconds later receiving the reply: “Way to go, Mom!”
Here are some of the popular tools that can connect you with friends and family near and far:
Facebook ~ Perhaps the most well-known social media tool, Facebook is being increasingly embraced by seniors who are rediscovering long-lost friends and enjoying keeping up with the adventures of their children and grandchildren. In fact, Facebook is among the top five requests when we survey our students about what they are most interested in learning. You can access Facebook from a smartphone, tablet or computer.
FaceTime ~ Not to be confused with Facebook, FaceTime is Apple’s native video calling app. It comes on almost all iPhones and iPads and can also be installed on a Mac laptop or desktop computer. Both caller and receiver must be using Apple devices.
Duo ~ Google Duo is another video chat app. Duo makes it possible for iPhone users to make (and receive) video calls with users of Android smartphones. (Android is the operating system of most Samsung, LG and Sony smartphones.) Both caller and receiver must have the Duo app installed on their phones.
WhatsApp ~ Our friend Joan uses WhatsApp to video-chat with family in Holland. WhatsApp allows users to make face-to-face calls using their internet connection. Joan is especially delighted that her WhatsApp calls are free when she is connected to the internet on her home’s WiFi network.
These are just some of the tools that can help you stay connected with friends and family. There are many more. Ask a knowledgeable person to help you install the correct app(s) for your phone or tablet, and to address any privacy or security concerns you may have about their use.
And here’s a wonderful idea for seniors trying to figure out how to connect with their busy teenage grandkids – find out what online game they like to play and learn how to play it. We thank Beverly for this great suggestion – when her 16-year-old grandson suggested she download the Words With Friends app and learn how to play so they could play together, she got right on it! Now they’re in close touch with regularity (no pun intended, fellow seniors).
Don’t underestimate the power of tech to help us connect!
