By John S. QUAISIE
One area which poses a serious challenge to people in retirement is the use of modern and emerging technology in daily life. Over the years, older people have become used to particular tools and ways of processing information and communicating with individuals and groups of people, formally and informally.
In modern times, the retiree is faced with a critical situation where what worked in the past does not seem to work anymore today.
The Good Old Days
The critical issue has to do with the ability of the retiree to share their great lessons of the ‘the good old days’ and at the same time remain relevant in today’s world, where modern information and communication technology seems to direct every sphere of life.
In the past, the Post Office, fixed telephone facilities in homes and offices and telephone booths, were the familiar channels which the older generation used for communication in-country and overseas.
On the other hand, the youth of today have been born into a new world of information and communication technology. Children, as young as five years, are already exposed to the internet. The youth devote a lot of time space to the use of modern communication tools such as E-mail, WhatsApp and Face Book.
The change from the old familiar communication and documentation tools to the use of the internet and online media, presents serious difficulties for the older generation. However, since the retiree lives in a world of modern technology, it is important for them to make the effort to learn the new trends in relating with people and accessing important resources.
Retirees must therefore show interest in learning and using the internet. Fortunately, the young ones, including our grandchildren are ready to share their knowledge with us. In this crucial area of communication, we must be humble enough to learn from the younger generation.
The following experience of an older person may help us to appreciate the need for the older generation to seek assistance from the youth in some situations.
- A young man working in a city decided to buy a modern phone for his mother, an elderly person who lived in a rural community, for the purpose of facilitating their interpersonal communication. Not long after, the son called many times, but he did not receive any response from the mother. He therefore decided to visit the mother and find out what the problem was.
While he was with his mother, he rang her phone. Upon hearing a popular song which introduced the call, the mother, without picking the phone, got up and started dancing to the music. It was then that the son realized that his parent needed help to understand how the modern phone device works.
Building Support Network
It is important for retirees to maintain regular contact and constructive relationship with family members and other people of different age groups. The ability to interact with different sectors of the society opens the way for building good support networks.
The Adult: Retirees need to establish constructive relationships with other adults with whom they can relate easily. Some retirees have formed associations which offer them the opportunity to relate frequently with their peers, share their life stories and address their needs.
As they relate in diverse ways – through in-person group meetings, home visits and online sharing (with the help of media tools like Facebook, WhatsApp and phone calls), the retiree is kept active and socially connected with their colleagues. This creates a sense of belonging, love and companionship.
In some Churches, like the Immanuel Methodist Church, located at Airport East in Accra, an interactive platform has been created to assist the elderly to relate with each other constructively, share their stories; and also learn new and modern online tools for participating more meaningfully in Church life. Members are introduced to modern trends in information and communication technology, to help them access Biblical resources and other Christian materials more easily on the internet. Besides, they learn to establish networks which help them to interact adequately with different age groups in society.
The Youth: The retirees’ interaction with the youth could be of mutual benefit. As we seek to guide young people through life’s complex journey, they could also assist us to learn more modern online tools for more efficient communication and documentation. As older people, we must be humble enough to request the assistance of young people, including teenagers, who can walk us through new ways of communicating more efficiently and effectively with online media tools.
Grandchildren: In the African culture, as can be found in other cultures in the world, grandchildren are a great source of happiness to grandparents. As we interact with our grandchildren, we find delight in teaching them precious lessons; and we also fill our time space with helpful exercises and lots of fun, as we follow up on their movements and activities. Quite often, they invite us to join them to play their favourite computer games and this also offers us a good opportunity to be happy and connected.
Recently, my wife and I visited our daughter Karen, her husband and our grandchildren in Lagos, Nigeria. One day, as I was struggling with the mouse, to position the text I was working on, on my laptop, our four-year old granddaughter, Ewuraefua, who was watching me, got nearer and touched the computer screen, saying,
“But Grandpa, this is a touch screen”. With that, she used her fingers to position the text I was working on, correctly on the screen. My four-year old grandchild has taught me an important computer lesson!
In the face of modern and emerging information and communication technology, the retiree can certainly make a headway in inter-personal and group communication, by building an active network of people of different age groups. This could also help us to interact meaningfully on the internet and use online tools, such as the smart phone, WhatsApp and Facebook, to stay connected and happy in a fast-changing world.
John is a HR/Management Practitioner
Phone/WhatsApp: 0244599628
E-mail: [email protected]
