Many seniors are computer-savvy, skilled BY SUE WEBBER • CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Roger Bartilson didn’t let any grass grow under his feet after he retired. The Lakeville resident ended his 45-year career as an engineering supervisor with KMSP-TV in 1999. A month after he retired, he began donating each Monday morning to helping senior citizens who have computer questions and problems at the Lakeville Senior Center, 20110 Holyoke Ave. “I learned computers at work; I went to some classes,” he said. “There were no computers when I started.” Some of the Lakeville seniors are getting to know computers from scratch, he said. Some worked with computers before they retired, perhaps with a program that now is outdated. “It’s constantly changing,” Bartilson said. “Some are working with iPads. A lot of them are having trouble combining photos in a way that they can deal with them.” Bartilson, who said he owns several computers, got into the instruction mode when he was asked to help relatives with their computer questions. “There is something about helping someone do something they had trouble with that’s rewarding” he said. “It’s amazing. I’m learning from them, too.” Another resource at the Lakeville Senior Center is Mike Pahl, owner of Nice Guy Technology in Apple Valley. He teaches two-hour classes from September through May at a variety of locations, including community education sites. “Many of those in the class are seniors,” Pahl said. “Some got an iPad as a gift and have never turned it on. Others may have had a computer for a couple of years, but had no formal education on it. They’ve been figuring it out on their own, and now they’d like some instruction. A lot of them walk away saying they feel they’ve learned so much about things they had no clue about before.” Pahl shares Bartilson’s view that helping seniors with their computer concerns “turns into a very positive experience for me.” Because computer technology is always changing, Pahl said, he does a lot of reading, learning and video watching on his own to stay abreast of new systems and programs. “New stuff is constantly coming out, and I’m constantly trying new stuff,” he said. His own business – which includes teaching at senior
citizen sites and community centers and making house calls – has “grown dramatically” in the last three-andone-half years, Pahl said, but he thoroughly enjoys the senior citizens with whom he has contact. “Seniors are great; I love working with them,” he said. “No one is forcing them to be there. They want to learn. I try to make the classes fun for them.” Many of the seniors are getting instruction at the behest of their own children because better skills can enable the seniors to have video chats with their grandchildren, Pahl said. Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District 196 Pahl also has been an instructor for classes offered through Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District 196, according to Jan Stoven, the district’s adult enrichment coordinator. “He is special to us,” Stoven said. “He’s terrific. The students rave about him. He’s a self-starter who used to work for Apple. We’re very pleased he lives right here in our district.” The school district does not have separate technology classes for seniors, according to Stoven. But that doesn’t mean that seniors aren’t interested and/or willing and able participants, she said. “People sometimes label older adults as not being up on things,” Stoven said. “But guess what? They’re buying the latest technology, they’re enrolling in classes and they’re highly skilled.” “We have a very high percentage of older persons in our classes,” she continued. “Our iPad class is doing well. We’ve had strong senior enrollment in all our technology classes for years and years and years, even in the more skilled advanced classes.” Contrary to some who believe seniors are not computer literate, Stoven said, “Older adults are more ad-
vanced than people believe. They are very skilled. They have the latest phones.” Apple Valley Senior Center Robert Anklam of Apple Valley, a Navy vet and former full-time corporate pilot, used to treat his interest in computers as a part-time hobby. Since 2000, however, he’s switched to full-time computer work and part-time work as a flight instructor. “Teaching people to fly and teaching them about computers teaches a person about patience,” said Anklam, 63. Since 2001, he has run a company called Computing 101, specializing in training people ages 50 and above. But at 9:30 a.m. on the first Thursday of each month (except during July and August), he is a volunteer instructor for a drop-in computer class at the Apple Valley Senior Center, 7100 147th St. W. “We started in the old senior center, with three or four people sitting around a table,” Anklam said. SAVVY - TO PAGE 5