Seniors turning to technology - London Free Press

Mike Hensen/The London Free Press

Mary Bigney saunters in, her iPad, iPod, Mac laptop and Bose headphones perched on her walker.

“I’m not an expert on all these things, but as long as I can keep myself entertained, I’m happy,” Bigney said.

Bigney, 89, uses the headphones on walks around the grounds of Windermere on the Mount, the retirement residence where she lives. Her iPod playlist includes Josh Broban and Andrea Bocelli.

The laptop she uses for emails and Skyping family and the iPad comes in handy for online banking and games.

“I love Angry Birds,” Bigney said.

She’s among a growing crop of seniors who are living a life surrounded by the newest technology, pushed slightly into it by their kids who want to stay in contact, but building on their own interest in wanting to keep active and up-to-date.

“It’s such a misconception that seniors check into these homes and just sit there. As long as the heart is beating, we want to keep learning,” said Marion Mills, who also lives at Windermere on the Mount.

Mills has a Dell laptop â€" though Bigney’s enthusiasm for all things Apple have almost convinced her to go Mac â€" that she uses to online shop and email friends and family.

“I really, really want an iPhone,” she said.

“I do a lot of research, so if I’m watching a television show and a topic comes up that I want to learn more about, I use the laptop . . . it’s become so much a part of my life.

“If you can be active bodily and between the ears, you’re great.”

Recently, she’s been signing out one of the six iPads the retirement residence has for its residents to try reading e-books.

“I still love hard copies and I buy my books and CDs from Amazon, but I see the benefit of e-books, especially for when you’re travelling,” Mills said.

Then there’s Jim Dimson, 80, a retired Toronto Stock Exchange trader who keeps track of his stocks on one of the iPads Windermere makes available, as well as his personal laptop.

“It’s great because of the information I can get. Having the Internet is really good for me” Dimson said.

“I went to Hawaii this winter, and I brought the small laptop with me. It keeps me in touch. I do a lot of emailing with different people.”

The iPad lending program began a couple months ago, said Amy Walsh, the home’s director of recreation.

“We wanted to teach residents that don’t have access to technology, to give them a chance to communicate with family, to get news from around the world,” Walsh said.

Windermere on the Mount staff provide both group sessions about the iPad and one-on-one sessions.

“One family brought in photos that we put on the iPad and we have the resident look through them and share their memories,” Walsh said.

For the first time, this month’s book club selection is being read in e-book form.

Last month, Mills and Bigney teleconferenced with retirement home directors in Toronto from the comfort of the Windermere building.

“It’s keeping the residents savvy and on top of things and always learning,” Walsh said.

“The residents want to learn.”

Kate.dubinski@sunmedia.ca

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