Seniors and resistance to change (long distance, years, husband, single)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
At age 65 I started using computers at the Pentagon in 1975, was using the Internet as soon as it was available, owned my first home computer in about 1985 and owned my first cell phone about a year after they became available. I now have a desktop and a laptop, a wireless router for both as well as a smart phone but don't use the latter as a mini-computer. To me, a phone is a phone although the ability to check email does come in handy occasionally - very occasionally. We have several email accounts and we bank and pay our bills online. Very quick and handy. Same with an ATM card. voice mail and caller ID.
Does that mean I'm a relatively "wired-in" old fart, or what?
I think you are amazing! Were you 65 in 1975 when you began using computers or have I misread this?
My mom is 76 and has had all the above for years!
My father is 85. He has a land line, cell phone, internet (FIOS) and email. I suspect he has stopped checking his email because of all of the spam. He keeps his portfolio online but he will not pay bills online. (Nor will he access his medical records online.) He may, however, purchase the new IPhone 5. He does not use an ATM card.
My ex MIL is 88. She, too, has the land line, the cell, internet and email. I don't recall if she uses an ATM card.
I personally do not know anyone who is in their 60's who does not have a cell phone, internet access, email, or an ATM card. Seriously.
Since those of us posting here have to use a computer to do so, we may not be completely representative of seniors, especially of older seniors. I am wondering how many people you know personally who do not have
1. Email
2. A cell phone
3. An ATM card
My mother, who died six years ago at age 90, stubbornly resisted any move in that direction and had none of the three. I currently know three people who do not have email, ages approximately 65, 78, and 90. Except for the 90-year-old, an aunt, I am wondering how unusual this is. Even the homeless could have email and use a public library for access to it.
This is sort of a poll without the actual poll. I didn't set up a poll because I thought the various permutations - what older people don't have and their ages - would be a little too complex to encompass in a poll. Please feel free to expand your answers beyond the three items I listed if you think it makes sense in order to discuss this topic.
There are SOOOO many people out there with emails accounts who never use them. And none of the ones I've complained about were seniors.
I'm with those who doesn't like technology. While I have all of the above, I still pay bills with checks, which means I snail-mail with STAMPS. I do not download music off the net ~ still buy cds. No fancy phones here ~ mine is about the dumbest phone, used to place calls only when I need to. Do not like texting. Also hate watching movies and programs online, as well as news articles (I still prefer the papers).
I do make purchases online but not often. Oh, and I don't use debit cards.
Still have the lan-line at home because I prefer to screen calls with the answering machine (not an option with cells).
So I'm already showing strong signs of not going with the changes and I'm not even 60 yet!
The main people I notice are widows 75+, who use checks and balance their account by hand. Also they tend to drive a Mercury Grand Marquis, when a smaller car would be more practical for them.
I know some in their 60's and 70's, who have never used a computer, and are intimidated by them.
Cell phones are hard to determine, because some people have them and don't use them much. Usage seems to increase exponentially with youth, to the point that they become a public nuisance.
I'm 58, and had a Commodore 64 in 1984. But I have to admit, I'm not up to speed on all this wi-fi, 3G, 4G stuff. And the finger wave thing with these hand held devices is beyond me too. I prefer a desktop with a keyboard, a mouse, and a cable plugged into a modem.
Age 69
Cell - $6/mo. - only for emergencies, load minutes every 1-2 yrs.
Landline ($44/mo) w/caller ID, voice mail - for 2 hr chats w/friends/family
Email - absolute necessity
Laptop/wireless internet - window to the world
Cable TV
Debit Card/ATM - use only for deposits, NEVER purchases.
Credit card (1-2% cash back) for all purchases everywhere and online.
Had computer and cell phone since the early 90s. Rarely carry cash. Cable, phone, credit cards, utilities all autopay. Write maybe 10 checks a year.
Technology can be intrusive and a real time sucker at times when there are problems, but would feel waaay too isolated without it.
Last edited by Ariadne22; 10-02-2011 at 10:17 PM..
The main people I notice are widows 75+, who use checks and balance their account by hand. Also they tend to drive a Mercury Grand Marquis, when a smaller car would be more practical for them.
Up until the day my mother died at 92, she wrote checks and balanced all her statements by hand, without a calculator. She did the math. Her executor was astounded at how meticulous she was, and he is an accountant. This, along with reading three newspapers each day, kept her mind sharp as a tack. She only had a high school education. She drove a Ford Escort until age 80, when we talked her into not driving, for her own safety. (She would have been a miserable camper in any hospital.) She used to kid that she couldn't lose her mind, she could not afford to. So there are benefits to "doing the math" yourself.
My parents are in their mid-80's. They don't have a computer or an ATM, but they do have a cellphone because my brother added them to his plan. The cellphone is a backup to their landline...my Mom doesn't use it at all, my Dad uses it only as a secondary phone. If my mother-in-law were alive, she wouldn't have a computer, ATM or cellphone. Heck, she used to get my kids to change the time on her microwave whenever the electricity went out.
Another factor is that we grew up without these things and are used to operating autonomously.
I see the women at the grocery store with their cell phone on their ear discussing each item they purchase with someone, it has to take them all day. Then there is the bozo phoning or texting while driving 20 miles under the limit that everyone has to pass to get where they are going. I have a cell phone, I use it about five times a month. That is why a crappy little Virgin Mobil for $6.99 a month is the best de3al for me.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
