I’m sure you, to one degree or another, likely agree with the title of this post. Old people are simply not tech-savvy to any degree. When I suggested to the management here at my RetCom (retirement community) home that we should have an on-line interface for communications with the residents, I was given that line. With nothing to back my suggestion up I let it drop. That is, until I recently had a tour of an “active” RetCom a few weeks ago.

When I brought up the topic of an on-line interface between the staff and the residents, I was shown a very impressive on-line interface including the daily menus at the four dining options and ways to make reservations, the activities for each day, and information and discussion sites for all the clubs and activities. It was sizable from a cell phone to a desktop screen. I wish I had taken a snapshot of the app, but just didn’t think about it at the time.

The marketing director there said that when people join the community they are given the option of getting their daily information via paper or an on-line site. Many choose paper but quickly switch to on-line when they see the tool demonstrated. Every resident apartment has a small basket outside their residence. If that basket includes a colored ribbon, it means they want paper copies. Presently, approximately 75% of the residents forego the paper copies and use the on-line version. Besides saving lots of trees needed to combat global warming, it makes life easier for all involved. This facility, like most in this category, has an average resident age of 84. The age span, with a few exceptions, is likely 70 – 100 years old, so old people can become tech-savvy if provided the opportunity.

In the coming years when more of the Baby-Boomer generation join RetComs in much larger numbers, community administrator’s have to recognize that they need to seriously update their often two-decade old practices which includes an ocean of daily paper, if they want to attract us Boomers.

When you are visiting a possible future RetCom home for yourself or a loved one, don’t forget to ask them about their on-line presence. If they indicate that, except for general website advertisements of their facilities, they don’t have any then you might want to seriously note that fact in the “con” side of your decision ledger. The decision to forego on-line interactions just might indicate how forward-thinking the facility actually is.