Catching a Moving Target

This article is one of a series of four published as part of a collaboration between the American Society on Aging’s Generations Now blog and the Department of Journalism in Boston University’s College of Communication. The student journalists are members of Professor Meghan E. Irons’ Online Journalism class for graduate students.


For some older adults, something as simple as sending an email can feel like a daunting task. For others, navigating smartphone apps is an easy challenge.

As technology rapidly evolves, older people are learning to adapt. Some are taking computer classes to learn how to wire money to distant homelands electronically, peruse the digital menu at their favorite restaurants, and use AI apps to conduct online searches.

Also local senior centers have stepped in to fill the technology gap, but it’s not always easy to get everyone up to speed.

“Some people have never touched a computer in their lives,” said Judith Thermidor, director, East Boston Senior Center, who also teaches an advanced computer session to elders. “But now they start to create an email, change a password, download a PDF, [figure out] how to go on Zoom … even scan a QR code for a menu.”

Studies have shown that while many older adults own or use a smartphone, their technology usage declines as they get older. For example, 86% of people ages 50 to 59 use a smartphone, compared with just 62% for people older than age 70, according to a 2019 AARP survey.

A Pew Research Center study in 2021 found that only 8% of people ages 65 and older use the internet frequently, making their online experience all the more challenging. The survey also found the following:

  • Older adults may lack confidence in learning new technology
  • Older adults are more likely to need someone to guide them or demonstrate how to use technology tools.
  • Older adults may face physical challenges that make it difficult for them to handle devices.
  • Depending upon their income, some older adults may feel that technological tools are unaffordable.

The East Boston Senior Center holds a computer class on Wednesdays and Thursdays weekly. Luz Leal, assistant director at the Center, said they began holding the classes two years ago after older adults kept asking for help with their smartphones.

At the time, Leal said there weren’t many organizations offering technology training to older adults. Eventually, she connected with the LBFE Boston (also known as Little Brothers—Friends of the Elderly, Boston), which provides computer and tech classes specifically for older adults.

“I was lucky enough to find Little Brothers,’’ Leal said in an interview. “They actually give free computer classes, and at the end of the course the seniors will be able to take the computer home.”

‘I want to learn is how to transfer money to the Philippines online … but you have to create an account, blah blah blah.’

Thermidor focuses on the little things, she said. “I try … (teaching) basic things that we use every single day (such as) opening an email,” she added.

Grace Camou, a 71-year-old who frequents the center, said she started the program knowing the basics, such as browsing the internet and sending emails. “We use it, but not all the time. We’ll get stuck because we forgot, or we lack the information,” Camou said.

Ester Trinidad also takes technology classes at the center, so she can learn how to send funds electronically to family members back home.

“What I want to learn is how to transfer money to the Philippines online, but there are a lot of things that are being asked in there (about online banking),’’ said Trinidad, recalling the daunting experience. “You have to create an account, blah blah blah.”

Trinidad said that she takes notes during classes, so she can remember how to perform certain functions. Her notebook serves as a reference guide for her technology learning.

Other organizations are stepping up their technology training, too. The Peterborough Senior Center in Fenway offers regular “Tech Café” sessions, where Boston-based college students provide one-on-one assistance to older adults facing technology challenges.

“We are here to help older adults solve problems with their phones and laptops and learn more about how AI and machine models can assist them,” said Aidan Sidloski, a volunteer instructor and computer science student at Northeastern University.

Brenda Howard, 73, a former computer operator at Boston Medical Center, said the rapid pace of updates in electronics and software make it confusing for older adults, and hard to keep up.

“It’s like working with an old system and a new system at the same time. Without someone guiding you step by step, it’s hard to get hands-on,” she said.

Older people with limited abilities are also finding ways to navigate the system. Brenda Clark, a 72-year-old regular at the Peterborough center, is only able to move two fingers on her right hand because she had polio when she was younger, she said.

But technology has opened new possibilities for her. Each week, Clark arrives in an electric wheelchair to get her tech questions answered. She owns two iPhones and an iPad and uses a specially designed mouth stick to tap the screen.

“I use these devices for everything—appointments, personal tasks, fun, keeping track of weekend plans, and taking pictures,” she said, while urging other older people to get better connected to technology.

With the Center’s help, she has learned to send emails, join video calls, and create a personal digital calendar.

“I’m pretty active,’’ Clark said. “It does not stop me from doing anything.”


Deanthony Nachampasak, Zihan Zhang, Caleb Tsegaye and Dinghan Meng are pursuing master’s degrees in journalism at Boston University.

Photo caption: At the Peterborough Senior Center, Tech Café classes are provided to older adults.

Photo credit: Zihan Zhang.