Senior Savvy By Tara Malone
Older adults are as eager and as capable of adopting new technologies as younger generations.
The younger that people may be, the more likely we are to witness them posting selfies on Snapchat, sharing their latest meals on Instagram or issuing demands to Alexa that would make a dictator blush – or so many of us believe. In truth, mobile technology and social media have opened as many frontiers for older adults (if not more) as they have for generations that have grown up in the thick of the digital age. “We have certainly noticed more and more of our senior residents embracing social media – and technology in general – over recent years,” says Sonya Pratt, programs director for Senior Star at Burgundy Place in Tulsa. “It has been inspiring to see so many of them keeping up with what can be an intimidating technological world.” Seniors have adopted many social media apps and other mobile technology at an astounding rate, with Facebook being one of the most popular social media platforms for older adults.
56
OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2019
TOUCHING THE APPLE WATCH SERIES 4 DIGITAL CROWN COMPLETES THE CIRCUIT AND ELECTRICAL SIGNALS ACROSS THE HEART ARE MEASURED. PHOTO COURTESY OF APPLE
TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA APPS OPEN UP A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESIDENTS OF SENIOR STAR AT BURGUNDY PLACE. PHOTO BY JOSH NEW
