In the humanitarian sector, and specifically in the field of support for the autonomy of Seniors (SAPA in Québec), there is talk of a digital divide among older adults. At first glance, we immediately think of the fact that our clientele use computers little or not at all in their daily tasks, such as checking their bank balance, paying bills, ordering groceries, communicating with loved ones, or entertaining themselves. But it goes further than that.
At first glance, the obvious solution is to make computer and cell phone classes available. My four decades of experience allow me to explain how and why this is torture for our customers and an absolutely ridiculous return on investment.
What our senior customers want is to be able to stay in their own homes and do what they need to do to continue living there independently. What they need is the reassuring support of patient, understanding, and caring people to help them adapt to new tools for accomplishing everyday tasks. And they need this in a friendly place with a relaxed atmosphere.
Support for independence is not a class. The goal here is not to learn how to use a machine or to disrupt habits and reflexes. It is a workshop that is as relaxed as a recipe exchange session, designed to help people get things done, with the moral support of people who are successfully using these new tools.
There is no cookie-cutter program to be applied to a certain number of people in a certain amount of time. Instead, there is a good understanding of the reality of seniors and their needs.
Meetings—which we'll call “workshops”—bring together people who want to learn the tricks of the trade for successful independence and people who have mastered these same tricks in an inspiring way. In the same place and at the same time, they share these methods over a cup of coffee, while handling the plastic gadgets that help them do what they want to do.
Once again, we think of paper checkbooks or access to a human at the counter of a financial institution, which seem to be gradually disappearing into oblivion. We make a facile comment to seniors: “Just do it with your phone like everyone else does nowadays.” And family members get impatient when it comes time to show them how. All of which serves to demonize the process and cause trauma!
In technical jargon, these workshops are called experiential learning. Between 1983 and 1985, I experienced exactly that first hand at the School of Experiential Education (SEE) in Toronto. To simplify it, we can simply call it an internship or immersion in an ongoing routine. You join a group of people who have mastered the techniques and—most importantly—the skills you want to master with ease and confidence. You want to see in real time what to do and how to do it, right there before your eyes. Then you go with the flow, imitating others with the reassuring support of patient and inspiring people.
I regularly meet people who participated in my workshops at some point during my forty-year career* and who still tell me how happy they are to have mastered the reflexes that have shaped their prosperity. And they never fail to remind me of the warmth of the group atmosphere.
Supporting the autonomy of seniors means providing very human support, with respect and attentiveness. It means taking the time to reassure them and build their hope for happiness that will truly come true. It also means creating a family that they can count on and feel like a full member of. It means building true peace of mind for seniors and everyone around them.
What a wonderful thing to do! Once it's in your blood, you never tire of it.
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* Waska organizations, 1982 to 2017 – a good topic for a future post.
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