At 89 years old, McCulloch of Margate, Florida, is teaching a class during NoMi Tech Month to encourage Black seniors to embrace technology. Despite his age, he actively uses digital devices and teaches others how to use tablets, iPhones, and computers as he uses these devices at his home office in Margate, Florida. — The Miami Herald/TNS
MIAMI: Bertie McCulloch’s smartphone has kept him safe in ways he hadn’t imagined.
McCulloch has hypertension and began using his phone to monitor his blood pressure. He would then give that information to his doctor. Based on the data collected, McCulloch’s doctor was able to determine his medication was about 30 milligrams too much.
It was then that McCulloch, 89, realised that other people his age need to understand the nuances of technology and how it can be helpful to their everyday lives. That is why he’ll be teaching other seniors in North Miami about how they can get comfortable using technology.
“Right now, I’m down to 10 milligrams, and I don’t have the fluctuations that I experienced before,” he told the Miami Herald. “I would like to explain to them that they can help themselves by monitoring these certain things.”
The event, NoMi Tech Senior Smart Living Luncheon, is one of many during NoMi Tech Month, North Miami’s month-long effort to infuse technological skills and funding into its backyard by offering training to residents and business owners.
McCulloch will sit on a panel with OneUnitedBank president Teri Williams and North Miami IT director Claude Charles to discuss why it’s important to understand tools and offer tips to seniors who may be tech-averse. LaShevia Burns, president of Bringing Tech, will also lead a senior tech session.
“One of the things that we are more intentional about is making sure that all generations are included in this process,” North Miami Councilwoman Mary Estimé-Irvin told the Miami Herald. “North Miami has a very large, diverse community. There’s a large Haitian American community, a large Hispanic community, and the seniors are sometimes left behind. So I’m very excited about bringing in awareness and having a luncheon that makes them comfortable to adopt technology and not to be scared that they’re not able to handle a big old computer.”
NoMi Tech began in 2023 as a partnership between Lightship Foundation, an organisation that provides resources and support to tech business founders from diverse backgrounds. The goal is to help make North Miami a viable tech destination for businesses.
The event has since grown and this year included a drone pilot program for adults and an afterschool music program for youth. Estimé-Irvin said it was a no-brainer having McCulloch teach to seniors. “Just like anything else in life, when your peers are the ones participating, it’s just believable,” she said. “It’s credible, and you can see that it’s possible.”
In North Miami, a city with a predominantly Black population, 97% of households have access to a computer and another 81% have Internet access, according to recent US Census Data. About 14% of the population is 65 or older.
McCulloch’s goal is to make his fellow seniors more comfortable with computers and smartphones and how to use them. For him, it’s more than simply using the devices, it’s about finding online communities, keeping track of appointments and scheduling prescription refills.
Still, he says, he knows many seniors are worried about the dangers they potentially face while using technology. “We don’t like our information out there, and there is that kind of sense that you’re giving up too much when you do all of that,” McCulloch said.
Staying connected
McCulloch, who was born and raised in Jamaica, has seen tech come and go, from beepers to Blackberrys to iPhones. He moved to New York in the 1960s when his wife was recruited for a nursing job. At the time, he worked as a junior chemist for Schenley Industries before working at Technicon Corporation, where he saw the company transition from manual system of analysing blood to a more automated process. McCulloch eventually worked at the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, and again, he witnessed the way tech changed another workplace.
“The evolution of technology and computer systems could not be avoided in the path that I was on,” he said. “You couldn’t avoid it. You embraced it because this was the trend. This was what was going to make you more efficient, and everything will be more accurate.”
McCulloch moved to South Florida in 2012 after he retired and was convinced by his children to get a smartphone. He was slightly hesitant, like most senior citizens, but obliged as he’d had more experience with technology than most people his age, he said.
The youngest of 10 children, McCulloch’s only remaining sister died last year at 98. He described her as being in great shape, with a sharp mind who frequently used her tablet.
It’s what he desires for himself and his peers. “The awareness of being in the present with everything around you is so important now,” he said.
McCulloch knows it can be a challenge because seniors might not trust the technology. “When you talk about seniors’ struggles with technology, it has to do with the negativity surrounding social media and the cybersecurity aspects of it,” he said, adding he’d stopped using Facebook altogether after he got hacked several times. Still, he encouraged those who do use it to change their passwords frequently.
He also cautioned against clicking on every popup or ad they see on the screen, adding that it may lead them to a website that asks for sensitive information. McCulloch also noted that there are resources for seniors so that they don’t encounter misinformation online and recommended that they use Snopes as a way to determine if something they see on the Internet is true.
McCulloch said technology has its uses for seniors, such as building community outside of their homes, especially those who live alone. Having a community online can be helpful to avoid loneliness and also to be aware of what’s going on in the neighbourhood.
”It’s amazing the information that comes through that chat,” McCulloch said. “You get alerted about people who might not be from your neighbourhood, about things that you’re concerned about in terms of safety, and you get tips about how you should deal with it.” He added it’s a good way to also keep up with community events and meetings.
Ultimately, McCulloch wants seniors to understand the rapidly changing world around them.
“The times have changed so rapidly, almost everything you touch or go to is computerised,” he said. “You have to make the effort to understand what is happening around you.” – Miami Herald/Tribune News Service
