Why do older people have to dislike change.

I'm surprised you are still using pen and paper now, making tax digital etc etc

I don't mind progress, and the changes that come with it, but sometimes it makes things impersonal. I admit missing a voice on the phone that can direct me to the right department, and then a voice that can actually listen to my issue and arrange a solution.

But yes, the internet, smart phones and tv's etc. make life so much easier and open a world on information at your fingertips.

Chardy

Those I know who do not embrace IT have 2 things in common
1. No work background that included computers.
2. No (very) regular contact with family members who could support their learning.

I agrée with you and some are hard of hearing; with bad eyesight; rheumatoid hands or handicapped in other ways. Not 100% of people are physically capable.

sodapop

Baggs

Some people find learning (anything!) harder than others.

I think it's that simple.

It's easy to be scathing about people not "embracing change" if you don't find it hard. What if you did find it hard?

Stop being judgmental.

Agree Baggs some very smug posts on here.

I also agree with your second post that not all change is good.

Quite.

I believe we all learn what we need for what must be accomplished in our own lives. Not everyone needs the same.

For instance, I cook everything that we eat from plain ingredients, no take-out, no prepared foods - because that works as vegans.

I do all books for a very big business, with paper and pencil - perfect records for the Accountant. But I scan documents, save, copy, print - all we need.

A bit smug to poking what others do, everyone is different.

Wouldn't be without my spreadsheets as back up. Absolutely love them and they do such a lot of precise projected calculations in two seconds flat.
Always fascinated/impressed me from day one many years ago. Oh yessss......

I love change it takes away the boredom

Those I know who do not embrace IT have 2 things in common
1. No work background that included computers.
2. No (very) regular contact with family members who could support their learning.

Progress =/ business rules on fees

Two completely different things

My daycare charges a fee for paying online (3rd party processor) vs via check

I pick check for obvious reasons

I used to pay the man at the carpark gate the fee as I exited. t
Then I paid a ticket machine before I entered the carpark so I had to estimate the length of my stay.
Then I paid by card, before I entered the car park.
Now I have to pay by phone, using an app.
Now I have pay by phone using an app and am charged 40p extra for the privilege.
This may be progress but for whom?

Baggs

Some people find learning (anything!) harder than others.

I think it's that simple.

It's easy to be scathing about people not "embracing change" if you don't find it hard. What if you did find it hard?

Stop being judgmental.

Agree Baggs some very smug posts on here.

I also agree with your second post that not all change is good.

I so agree with you OP. I have 5 friends who I go away with for weekends and they are all bright, clever, articulate women in their 60’s and 70’s. Not one of them has embraced the internet, has online banking set up etc and they all say that that they can’t do it or don’t trust new technology. One won’t even use contactless payments. This means that I’m the one who has to book the breaks, sort the train tickets, collect cash to pay etc and it drives me nuts, as they are all perfectly capable of doing it if they wanted to! Even most of my husbands old codger mates do online banking. It’s adds so much to my life that I think it’s a shame.

Hetty58
That’s my problem refusal to engage
But they want you to engage when they can’t buy something not in the shops.

I've found that even young people can dislike change - or refuse to adapt. It's more to do with personality than age - although more are 'set in their ways' in their later years. They then expect help with the many things they 'can't' (won't) do. I'm quite happy to teach someone how to do things but can't stand a lazy refusal to even engage with it.

Reading this thread brought to mind an incident in 1971, a couple of days after this country switched to decimal coinage.

I was in my early 20s and waiting at a supermarket checkout. The customer in front of me, probably 70-something, bagged up her purchases and the cashier asked for "three pounds forty five, please" (or some such total). The customer rummaged in a large purse, sighed, and then tipped the entire contents on the conveyor, saying to the cashier. "Oh, take what you need out of that. I can't be doing with this new money. Why can't they wait 'til all us old people are dead before they make these changes?"

Watching the checkout operator taking the correct money and the helping the customer gather up her remaining change, I remember thinking, " Gosh! I hope I never get like that."
(I don't think I have).

I am happy to embrace change if I need to, or if it benefits me and those around me. I don’t understand those who dig their heels in and refuse, though for some it is too difficult.

Since my husband died recently I have been able to speed things up by scanning and sending documents online. That’s really useful. But because so much is digitised, I struggle to get to speak to a human being at times, which is a nuisance when one’s circumstances don’t fit the tick boxes.

I have been trying to track down his various accounts and subscriptions, mostly related to online companies, who only communicate digitally. I have found out about some because an email has told him that a payment has failed, so I follow that up, but when I close his phone account I won’t know!

His phone, although a smartphone and fairly up to date, is very tiny and I struggle to read the small print and to use a tiny keyboard, so I end up making a lot of mistakes. I am not thick or lazy or unwilling to learn, but it is driving me round the bend and I long for more traditional communications.

Hithere

It is ok if you dont want to embrace change

What is not ok is complain that society doesnt support you - online banking, send documents online, get ecards vs paper cards, etc

With actions come consequences

Yes, this!

A friend of mine, her mom refuses to learn how to shop online. Which is absolutely her choice, BUT, she demands my friend fill in the gaps for her. As in, drive an hour to her mom, and order from her computer, because Mom won’t do it herself, and also won’t give her daughter banking details so it HAS to happen at her home. And gets incredibly upset if that doesn’t happen ASAP. Her mom uses the computer perfectly well in all other aspects, but apparently buying things is too hard.

i have mentioned this before on gn about my 79 year old dad, he is so scared of any tech, he has a very old phone and will never text anybody, i took my laptop the first time we met up after 30 years apart, i stayed in a hotel and wanted to show him family photos, next year i was going to be staying with him and he asked me not to bring the laptop ....he thinks it will be watching him, alexa is just something that was made to spy on people and store cards just want to know what people are eating. (big shock when i explained about how stores know what they are selling because of food being scanned at the till). sometimes he looks sad when i have talked about books on my kindle or old music on youtube, i think he now realises he has missed out on so much, or maybe the wacky baccy has a lot to do with it.

I have a friend who is simply unable to do things like online shopping and online banking. I do some online shopping for her and she then has to go to a bank and deposits what its cost... her local bank has just closed so it's now a long way away! Such a hassle for her. I jokingly tell her I'm her PA. I'm no tech whizkid by any means.
I did have to go into my bank branch on Friday to sort out an issue as the person I spoke to on the phone omitted to give me a vital piece of information that was needed to do an online transfer!

It is ok if you dont want to embrace change

What is not ok is complain that society doesnt support you - online banking, send documents online, get ecards vs paper cards, etc

With actions come consequences

I agree it's more of a personality change. We adapt where we want to adapt.

I use YouTube and many websites for learning new skills but have to be dragged kicking and screaming to set up a new phone that I will barely use. After working in IT for most of my life I have no interest in it now beyond the essentials and am veering more to my crafty side. I love changing fashions and clothes but recognize that not everyone does. I use the net for finding recipes for particular things but will still pore over my (hundreds) of cookery books to find recipes. I gave up my ruler many years ago in favour of a laser line when doing DIY, and don't think my power tools can be called old hat.

I don't think it is about not being bothered to learn but about learning something that you are interested in. Not everyone is interested in technology but they may want to pursue other new skills such as learning a new language, taking up painting, sewing, gardening or cooking. We are all drawn to different things in life that's what makes us fascinating as Human Beings.

I worked in libraries before I retired. We had a number of public pcs available and very often it was the ‘younger’ generation who wanted help. They are so used to using their mobile phones that they didn’t know where to start with a pc and didn’t want to learn either.

There's more to 'change' than just new technology. Sometimes it seems it's just change for change's sake or to make us buy some newly packaged version of the same old thing. Perhaps older people are wiser too and see through marketing wheezes in a way that younger people don't?

Nicely put, NanaDana.

I learn techie things when necessary, don't take delight it tho. Needs must. I don't like apps being forced on me for everything.

Is it being older that makes me want to be able to talk to a real live person about things instead of all online?

I shall have to ask the yoof in the family..

You are stereotyping a whole generation both young and old either embrace change or not it's their personal choice.
Lots of changes are beneficial that is correct but not to everyone. We all have different needs and we use change if it will benefit us.
The change that irritates me is the use of language. How women are being referred too and undermined.