After the Genetic Marker Test, Living to 100 Had Better Be Better

Can we get the care we want?

Line up to learn your longevity likelihood: Aren't you just loving the opportunity we will soon have to download that free genetic marker test kit, the one that with 77% accuracy will tell whether we will live past 100? Boston University scientists have “no plans to profit” from the results, but they will make the kit available later this summer. (Warning: analysis of the results will be costly.)

Under the Radar: The A-Plus Senior Computer

Despite the hype, the iPad may not be best for seniors

Over the past few years, several attempts at creating a “senior” computer have been made, including a pricey senior PC partnership between HP and Microsoft and the thin-client GO Computer from MyGait (sold through FirstSTREET), which is not extensible—what you get is what you get, and as a few frustrated comments on the blog post indicate, it's not to everyone's liking when it is time to add devices or additional software.

Tech Tides Turning for Boomers and Beyond?

Let's hope so!

Yo, non–iPad swipers: next, a gazillion options for boomers. Apple's transformative this-ain't-no-computer iPad launch sent a message that I bet will be heard loud and clear by vendors. While 88% of baby boomers surveyed by AARP have no plans to buy an iPad, they may start looking around for something to replace those desktops (57% of surveyed boomers, according to AARP). Expect Dell, HP, Acer, et al. to offer a plethora of beautiful tablets at low prices. And maybe they'll want low-priced software like PointerWare or InTouchLink layered onto one of these, which, if combined with the Microsoft Guide, would actually get us to the point (no pun intended) where PCs can be used by ordinary people.

AARP: Baby Boomers Are Uncomfortable with the Internet

Really?

Glass half full or half empty? Surprise! This new AARP study about social media and the Internet overrides previous assumptions about the 50-64 age range and comfort level with the Internet. Let's count just 40% of boomers as a fit with that description: 17% indicate they are extremely comfortable, and 23% are very comfortable. Only 26% access the Internet via a laptop and only 4% through smart phones or cell phones. Fifty-seven percent use a desktop computer. Only 27% are using social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter—dominated by Facebook.

Newspapers Fueling Terror of Computers Among the Elderly

Enough!

We have yet another entry in the annals of "why seniors hate computers news" library. This one from the Boston Globe searches for a way to write condescendingly about seniors and their fear and loathing when it comes to using a computer. We're so lucky—a Harvard professor has provided "insight" about the acceleration of the "pace of change" and the Cambridge Health Alliance, offering thoughts on how it takes longer to learn new things. Gee, was this a study? Oops, no, just a few anecdotes, vastly enhanced by the entertaining comments from seniors who have been using computers for years. Maybe that's how they read the Globe—which would be a revenue-free access method.

Technophiles Should Teach Technophobes Now

Boomers teaching seniors

Here's where a job-to-be comes in: Combine teaching in a senior center with starting a one-on-one business to teach seniors in their own home, as one boomer did in New Jersey.

Where Are You When You Need Help?

A Panasonic pilot error

Aging Family Members: If You See Something, Do Something

Here are five steps we can take to help care for our older relatives