Five ways to help older adults navigate technology more easily

Many older adults struggle with tech accessibility, having missed out on the transition to daily integration of tech that younger generations grew up with. Here, we’ve provided five things you can do to help your older family and friends navigate tech and become more comfortable utilizing it. There are also many alternatives to tech that may be more efficient and comfortable to use that you should keep in mind, as well as options to suggest to your elderly loved ones.

Lighting and Font Accessibility

While bright colors and creative fonts can be a fun way to make things like presentations and apps exciting, they can also be an unfortunate barrier for those experiencing vision loss. This is especially important to consider for the elderly given that 1 in 3 elderly face a vision-reducing eye disease by 65.

For phones, tablets, and computers, you can go into settings and choose your font size--some devices even let you choose a font type that is easier to read.

Some other things to think about:

• Checking ADA font and color guidelines when designing websites, presentations, holiday cards

• Including alt text (available under “accessibility settings” on most social media apps) when posting on social media websites

• Most devices have settings to increase or decrease lighting, as well as decrease the blue light emitted which can be easier on the eyes and decrease overall eye strain

Ride Sharing

Apps like Uber and Lyft are common resources for Americans who don’t drive or need easy access to direct transportation. Rideshare services can be a great resource for older adults who no longer drive or who only need a rideshare service every once in a while.

For older adults uncomfortable with navigating apps on their own, many rideshare apps have the option to schedule rides for other people in advance. Scheduling an Uber to pick up an elderly parent from the airport or to get to their doctor's appointment can be quick and easy on your part, and give you peace of mind. Additionally, those unfamiliar with rideshare may prefer options like taxis or having you book for them. 

Food Delivery and More

There are many food delivery apps that can be helpful for seniors, such as Instacart. However, having multiple apps for multiple things can be hard to keep track of and navigate. Go Go Grandparent is a service that combines multiple services together and with a single phone call you can request a rideshare, get groceries, and have meals delivered. For the tech-shy, this can be convenient to have one phone number programmed in to make these services more accessible. 

Hearing Issues

For older adults who experience hearing issues, apps like Live Transcribe through Google can help with accessibility of sounds by transcribing the words of the sound around you onto your smartphone screen. There is also Sound Amplifier, which amplifies the sounds around you similar to how a hearing aid may work. These can be great short-term solutions if an older adult is not in need of a hearing aid regularly but may encounter situations every now and then where transcription or amplification can be helpful. 

Assistive Devices

Assistive devices can be a great resource for the elderly. From devices for homes with stairs to falling prevention devices (which you can read more about in our past article on Falling Prevention Tactics), these devices can help increase self-reliance and help you elderly loved ones feel safer and more comfortable in their homes.

They can also be overwhelming to keep track of, so ensuring that they are seamlessly integrated and efficient within the home can be important to having those devices increase accessibility instead of creating new barriers. Offering to help your loved ones create “cheat sheets” for any FAQ for their devices can help prevent any issues with their devices and make those helpful tech devices more accessible and manageable.

Over the past few decades, a huge technology boom has changed the everyday lives of Americans. Much of tech is designed to help us save time and get more done, yet the average screen time for someone in the US is 10 hours and 39 minutes a day. Tech can be a great resource for efficiency, but can also have the opposite effect and be time consuming. Part of this time consumption can be simply trying to access and work the technology and overcome barriers that exist within technology. Hopefully, the tips above will help you mitigate some of that time for older adults in your famiy.

— Missy Roney