Illustration: 123rf.com
As a senior citizen in the 21st century, I have to cope not only with the physical ageing process but also the continual changes to the world as I knew it.
My eyesight dims, hearing is reduced, mental processes slow down. Throw in other age-related health problems such as hypertension and this senior citizen is no longer the brisk, capable individual I once was.
Fifty years ago, in my early teens, change was slow and consistent. It was easier to adapt to and accept it. Charles Darwin pointed out that species change, adapt and survive slowly over millenniums.
Today, change seems the only fixed feature in modern life. Now I seem to see and experience change on a nearly daily basis.
The biggest change I have had to cope with is technology in all its forms. Just imagine the differences in my life. In my youth, telephones were fixed lines. Now it is hard to live without a mobile phone. Televisions were bulky, black and white. Today, colour televisions are slim and laden with features. Even cars are electronic and, best of all, they even speak to you!
So, how do we seniors cope with all this change? Well, a minority embraces change fervently, eager to explore and learn new things. The majority of us have to be pulled, with feet dragging, into the new era. Then there is a small group that refuses to budge, who stubbornly refuse to be part of this changing landscape. They prefer being dinosaurs!
I was one such dinosaur. I was practically dragged screaming into using the computer for work. The old-fashioned typewriter and Gestetner roller printer were phased out and I had to set my examination papers on the computer. Necessity makes a strange bedfellow and in 1997, at the age of 47, I bought my first computer.
As I struggled to cope with the computer and finally accepted its usefulness, the mobile phone was making its way onto the scene. I refused to be cowed into moving on. I remained a dinosaur. One excuse was that not having a mobile phone kept me out of range of the “instant” demands of my headmaster. The reality was that I was afraid of learning to use this new tool. Even more, I was afraid to show I did not know how to use it and look like a fool.
Sadly, many senior citizens fall into this category. Once the masters of their field, competent and knowledgeable, many of us feel out of our depth with new technology.
At home with paper, book and libraries, we are shocked at the instant knowledge found at the tap of a finger. We are distrustful of this and again ashamed to ask the eager beaver, impatient young people around us for help. It is so easy for them but it seems to take a while for ageing seniors like us to grasp and retain how to send messages, how to forward, how to Skype or worst of all do Internet banking or payments!
Banking is no longer what it used to be. ATM cards and pin numbers are a necessity. As we age, remembering pin numbers can become a problem.
Just recently my bank informed me I would need a pin number for the latest credit card. Internet banking is a fearful idea as I am distrustful of the security and afraid of tapping something wrong and wiping out all my hard-earned money.
Where once I used to gather all my bills and head out to TNB, Telekom or Syabas to make payments, now it can all be done online or by credit card. This is so impersonal. Paying bills made me feel in control. I was independent. It was also a day out. I went out, paid bills, then met friends for a meal or did a bit of shopping before heading home. Technology has taken away this purpose in life.
What I think I personally dislike is my dependence on the young in this age of technology! The role reversal, especially for a teacher, is not easy to accept graciously, I must say.
Where once I was the one who knew almost everything, now I have to humbly ask these very young people (some even in primary school) how to use the smart phone or to nag them to come and explain why all my info has suddenly disappeared.
It is galling, to say the least, when these young ones with a tap of a finger, click everything back to order.However, technology is keeping seniors like me mentally active. It is forcing me to accept change and move forward.
There are advantages of course. Skype or Zoom allows me to interact and communicate with family members overseas. The smart phone lets me make free calls locally and internationally.
WhatsApp chat groups help seniors who have time on our hands to spread messages faster than wildfire! We learn new vocabulary daily. Now words like download, forward and post are part and parcel of our daily vocabulary.
Seniors are no longer socially isolated. We don’t have to just sit in front of a television. We can source information and interact, we can talk to and listen to others.
We have discovered Mr Google and Dr Google. With a tap on the smart phone, I can discover if my symptoms are serious or I am merely an ageing hypochondriac.
YouTube provides me with miracle cure drinks or, if I am feeling blue, a session with ABBA or the Bee Gees brightens the day.
We even have our own support groups to teach one another how to forward messages, make calls and handle this technology. We can do all this without asking “superior” grandkids or busy teenagers for help! We can laugh at one another's bumbling helplessness and humiliating mistakes because each of us have gone through it.
My senior WhatsApp group starts the day with a flurry of Good Morning messages. It is almost like a competition to see who can send the most inspiring or most beautiful morning greetings.
Even better, I believe it has improved my relationship with various members of my family. We now have time for each other that we did not as busy adults, and we do not need to travel to KL or JB to do so.
I enjoy the idea that I can keep in touch with friends locally and overseas. We discuss our daily activities – the small pleasures, triumphs and petty nuisances.
What is refreshing about this techno change is the new and easier communication channel it has opened up for us.Technology has changed life as I knew it but by embracing change I believe I am leading a less isolated, and a more purposeful and enriched life in my golden years.
