Why do older people have to dislike change.

If I am interested in something I will do all I can to learn about it and make changes if necessary.

For example, I know some people love their phones but I am really not interested. I have an IPhone (provided by husband) and I can make and receive calls, send texts, play Wordle and take photos. That’s it!!

I embraced my smartphone and do everything on it. But my hands tremble all the time due to a rare hereditary neurological condition I was born with . Only got my diagnosis last year I am now 65 because my new neurologist had my blood genetically tested. But it takes me ages to do posts or emails because of my hands tremble and can press keys I don't want it to. So end up pressing send when I don't want to. I think I have spelt things correctly then read it back and find some how it's altered and can mean the opposite to what I meant to say.

But my phone makes things easier for me as I can't write very well as holding a pen hurts and my ability long hand is no more. As its scribble so have to do lower case but to hold the pen it's very hard the writing is very small.

Because of my disability I can forget how to switch things on . I haven't got dementia . It's a mutant gene in my brain receptors which effects my motor movements and cognitive function. So have appliance manuals in the kitchen.

I love learning new things but it takes me several attempts to understand and retain the information so people have to repeat things. If it wasn't for my calendar I couldn't kept track of my life. Even have to mark which colour bin needs putting out.

I lists for everything. Going anywhere is like a military operation. I repeat myself when talking and don't realise I have already said it. The same in posts or emails I repeat myself then have to delete it when I read it back.
Taken me 40 mins to write this 🤦🤦🤦

My 88 year old mum isn’t very tech savvy but is determined to keep emailing, sharing her forum (not here) and doing stuff online. I take my hat off to her BUT every time ‘they’ update an app or change the layout of the screens she is thrown into a spin - what seems a simple update and adjustment to someone in their 40s or whatever is a game changer for many very elderly. She is no longer able to cope with her smart tv and Sky and she’s very unhappy. Her frailties have already diminished the quality of her life and what’s left seems to rely on technology that is on the verge of being too much. It is very sad.

I worked on a checkout encouraging people to sign up for a loyalty card that gave them 10% off on Wednesday. Loads said they were too old I got angry/joking with them saying I will accept you don't want to us a computer, I will not accept that you are too old. I was 66 at the time and starting a new career path, changed again when I hit 68. Never too old to learn new sklls

I agree with you MOnica.
People with disabilities are the last on the list to be considered.
It's not just the oldies either. We have Dyslexia and dyspraxia in the family.
I wish I had a pound for every time someone has said to me can't you spell that just look again and see it is wrong. I could look 100 times and it would still look right to me.
My late mother had trouble with her hands and found the numbers on a handset very difficult. We got her a tabletop with very large numbers and letters that she could press with her thumb.
Consideration needs to be taken of the less able.What ever their age or disability.

We don't dislike change that improves our lives but the Tories seem bent on making life harder. Hunt has told Departments to look for spending cuts so that looks likely to mean less service, not more.

...words with all the right letters but in the wrong order.

Wasn't that was Eric Morecambe's explanation to André Previn about his piano playing? All the right notes...😊

Recently a friend and I were having a discussion. We both stopped and looked at each other, confused... my last sentence to her had contained all the right words, just not in the right order... 😬

M0nica Well said - totally agree...and the frustration of knowing these disabilities are going to get worse not better..still can't get thru to Sky re phone landline probs..

What no one ever mentions is the disabilities we get older that makes using technology difficult. Arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis, cripples the hands, loss of sight, or its gradual deterioration, all make interfacing with technology difficult.

It is not just problems that may be particular to old age. I have dyspraxia, meaning I have poor fine motor control that makes using a mobile phone with all those tiny symbols and letters, really difficult to use. It has mental effects as well and while my mind is saying 'enter 123', my fingers are entering 213.

You will have noticed that my posts are often littered with typos. That is after I have read and removed most of them, words with all the right letters but in the wrong order.

As well as that the tips of the fingers on my right hand are permanently numb following a not totally successful carpal tunnel syndrome op.

These problems are not limited to the elderly. Yet apart from those big key, very limited function phones, little or nothing is offered to help those who have physical problems in operating a mobile phones.

I'm 65 and have much younger friends I sometimes help with their on-line endeavors.

MerylStreep

Froglady
Forgive me if this comes across as teaching your grandmother how to suck eggs but do you use YouTube for info.
Just incase you don’t, here is an example of how to load an App.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYZzxpFMytg

No, thank you for this. I hadn't thought about YouTube.
It's the language that is used that I struggle with - MyDriveConnect - what?!
But I will persevere with it.
Thank you for replying - it's well received by me.

Catterygirl

Everyone reading this must be able to use the internet???

..

So it would seem.

I think the point may be how much 'new' must be embraced every six months apart from how much one can accomplish with their already owned land-line, TV, computer, or cooker.

All are only examples of items truly not needing upgrades and replacing as often as perhaps happens in a world full of excess.

Catterygirl
That’s my default position, just keep pressing buttons. I always say to people you can’t break it

Could you be any more patronising Hetty58 . Being older is only part of what I am but definitely not an 'oldie'

It must be 20 years ago that I was doing outreach work in the local libraries - teaching the 'oldies' how to use a mouse and keyboard, email and internet - along with photo editing/storage and genealogy. They did well, as they were the ones keen to master it. What happened to the others who never did use IT? They must have been dependent on others for help.

Even then, we knew they'd soon have trouble (or be lost) in everyday life without it - and, of course, it constantly changes and updates, needing regular 'new' hardware and software - often at a cost (or gifts from their children of 'not quite the latest' phones and laptops).

A couple of years after the classes stopped, one ancient chap tracked me down at the college - because he was 'stuck' with booking a holiday online!

SueDonim, repeat prescriptions for my allergies - Yes, the doctor's 'new' system was slow and unreliable. I started using Pharmacy2U when it began - the GP was suspicious at first - but it's been great. No more pharmacy visits and queues, everything's delivered.

Just keep pressing and guessing as they say on Catchphrase. You can’t delete permanently. Well you can but it isn’t easy. The computer will show a pop up saying Are you sure? I don’t know how I would manage without some type of computer.

Everyone reading this must be able to use the internet???

..

I used to work as a cover supervisor in a school. For quite a while I covered a lot of computer tech lessons when the regular teacher was long term sick. Most of the kids knew far more than I do as I'm mostly self taught with a bit of help from my own grown up kids so if I was asked a question I couldn't answer I got one of the more capable students to help the one struggling. Most of the time that worked OK. As a cover supervisor you are not supposed to 'Teach' just supervise the students as they do the cover work supplied by the absent teacher and when teachers are off long term they should have a specialist supply teacher, but often there wasn't one available. At the end of the day the kids expect you to know everything even though you don't have a clue! I was once asked what a machine was in a resistant materials classroom. When I said I didn't know the student said "Well you're a s**t teacher then!"
Meanwhile some of the regular teachers asked me to help them with IT issues as I knew more than them, so although I consider myself incompetent with technology, they thought I was the person to go to for help!
There are things though that I really don't want to learn to do for myself so I use incompetence as an excuse to ask someone to help me. Fortunately I have plenty knowledgeable friends who are willing to help most of the time!
I am concerned about the trend for parking machines to need a smart phone as many older people don't have one - some can't afford one. I have one but have had times when I struggled to register with one. Also before I had one I got a ticket while at the other end of the street trying to pay over the phone and the system couldn't understand my voice giving my car registration! I went through three appeals to get the ticket cancelled and only won as the ticket was issued between the two text messages, one registering my credit card and the one telling me my registration number was invalid so I could prove I was trying to pay! Local authorities and car park administrators do need to make allowances for these things and be inclusive!

I had to open a new Netflix account yesterday for reasons won’t go into and it said scan barcode ….I didn’t have a scanner so I looked at my son , who said “ then download one mum, you’re 73 not 100, just do it”….. so I did with him hovering and then I scanned the thing on tv and if bleeped and then I followed really easy instructions. Simples. Now have my Netflix account ( I don’t watch tv rubbish ) then son says “ now go upstairs and sort your bedroom tv out” so I did …and I d discovered I can do near everything if someone pushes me just a little!

Right I have my tickets and have printed out the email I have been sent - all 5 pages of it BUT, no part of it is the ticket I will be travelling on tomorrow. That I have to collect from a ticket machine at the station tomorrow morning using the booking reference on one page of the five page email.

Since if I hadn't bought my ticket online, I would have bought the ticket at the ticket machine or ticket office, just what have I gained by buying a ticket online in advance?

All I have done is spent an hour this afternoon doing something that will have to be done tomorrow anyway.

There are times, when however comfortable I may be with the technology, the delivery leads a lot to be desired.

Mr.Johnson

Quite right …..saying you’re too old to learn means you’re dead already in my book. I have two grandkids and they keep me up to date and on my toes ….as do my own middle aged kids. I love new tech…. we all do in my family . My mum was 93 at her death and had just bought the latest I-phone 6 at the time…..she was keen to understand all it could do . And paying her bills on it was sublime ( her words) .Bright as a button two weeks before she died of c-dif in hospital.
Tired of learning -tired of life to paraphrase and. Johnson

I am very comfortable online on my computer. However I am currently trying to buy to return rail tickets to London, plus tube/bus travel for tomorrow using our Senior Travel cards. I have been working on it for the past hour and have just started again for the 4th time.

I have changes sites twice and I still do not have tickets. The main problem being that we do not know what train we will be returning on and I have only just found a site that tells me that although I have to commit to a specific return train on the the online form, I do not have to travel on that train.

I will let you know when I succeed.

I agree. Partially a mindset.

We don't spend just to waste money on things we don't need. We have what we need, what we have will see us out.

No need of a mobile, smart telly - our landline and computers works well as do our not-smart tellys. Not age related - just practical.

Also no need or worktop space for Ninja cookers, air fryers, choppers -- We've lovely gas and induction hobs, we cook well, need nothing 'new'.

Some people may just like to spend - we look to downsize quantity.