Kelowna students launch program to help bridge technology-age gap

KELOWNA — Technology is constantly changing and for many, keeping up with all of the latest gadgets and how to use them, can be a challenge.

For seniors, it’s an especially difficult age to ‘keep up’ in. That’s why some Kelowna post-secondary students have taken the initiative to help bridge the technology age-gap.

Throughout the month of March, three Okanagan College (OC) students: twins Daniel and Rebecca Alfred and Sam Jamieson connected 28 Missionwood Retirement Resort residents with 15 student volunteers for hands-on tablet tutorials.

OC Spokesperson Christine Ulmer says their project is called Silver Surfers and the students have facilitated four sessions so far, covering the basics of how to use an iPad.

The seniors were taught how to turn the iPad on, adjust volume controls, take photos, FaceTime with family members and how to post, like and comment on Facebook.

“Working part-time at Missionwood, I’d see family members give the gift of a tablet to their grandparent, but without showing them how to use it,” said Daniel Alfred.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Working part-time at Missionwood, I'd see family members give the gift of a tablet to their grandparent, but without showing them how to use it," said Daniel Alfred.

The third year business administration student says that’s what sparked the idea for the project.

“He points out that research has shown that many seniors face depression and isolation,” said Ulmer.

“Silver Surfers was developed with the goal of helping them reconnect with their loved ones by using the very technology they were being gifted to alleviate these feelings.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Silver Surfers was developed with the goal of helping them reconnect with their loved ones by using the very technology they were being gifted to alleviate these feelings."

The first order of business in the technology lessons was, of course, how to take a selfie.

“It was a great ice-breaker with the volunteers and it was quite fun to see these individuals, many over 70 years young, discover the phenomenon of the selfie,” says Alfred.

“It was incredible to see the relationships forming and the true connections.”

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In case the seniors forget some of the lessons they learned, the trio of business students also designed an illustrative booklet with step-by-step instructions to help refresh the memory of the tablet users.

Ulmer says the project is now expanding to other parts of the region after the student group called Enactus at OC’s Salmon Arm campus expressed interest in launching the project in its community as well.

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