My days with Dido.
Dido is one of my longest standing clients. A charming and lively 88 year old lady who has lived in my village for more than 40 years, she attended computer classes for quite some time twenty years ago and she had long wanted a refresher to better understand how technology has moved on. She was also keen for guidance on how to get the most out of her iPad and iPhone. She's a great-grandparent and felt that she might be missing out on keeping in touch with her younger family in particular.
Notably, like all of us, Dido had recently started receiving notes on her utility bills telling her to pay online via an app. She was keen to do this and it prompted her to think that now was the time to get some updated computer skills training – so luckily for me she looked for someone who could help seniors with computers.
An ex-headmistress, Dido is a smart woman, but she is quick to acknowledge that as she gets older her memory isn't what it was. For her, a key issue would be how to remember what she was being taught. She's keenly independent and didn’t want to be 'a nuisance' having to keep asking how to do the same thing over and over again. So our sessions together involve a lot of note taking by Dido and we work together at a slower pace to make sure she has time to take in what's being explained and time to ask as many questions as she needs. It's important that she is totally sure she understands the 'whats', 'whys' and 'hows'.
One thing leads to another
We've had a few sessions now and it's really rewarding to see Dido getting to grips with her technology. As well as learning more about her smart phone and iPad we've also got her up and running on the app that allows her to submit her meter readings online – so we're both feeling quite chuffed with ourselves! On one recent trip to Dido's she mentioned to me that she was struggling to hear her TV properly and asked if I would mind having a look. It turned out that the sound on her (very snazzy) TV was dreadfully muffled and that she needed a (not very expensive) 'soundbar' to improve the sound quality. "It made such a difference," she said.
Like many of the people I meet through my Senior Surf work, Dido knows that the world of technology is changing quickly. She also recognises that having some understanding of how to navigate the internet and a smart phone is increasingly important. "You can't stick your head in the sand and pretend progress isn't happening", she mentioned, "the world is moving on, and even at 88 I need to move on with it".
She added, "Finding a private computer tutor near me was brilliant and I'm loving my time with Colin – I do feel I'm learning a lot – and at my own pace. Colin is wonderfully patient and none of my questions seem to faze him, even if I have to ask them a few times until the answer sinks in."
Never too old to learn!
I meet with Dido whenever she needs my help – she keeps a list of new questions and then lets me know so we can arrange a time to catch up that suits her. She's already building up her confidence and is enjoying browsing, looking round the internet, learning more about apps and services - and watching programmes she's missed on catch-up channels. It's been quite the eye-opener for her.
"A lot has changed since I got my first laptop in 2002 and I was wondering if there was a whole world out there I was missing out on, but not anymore," she said to me recently. "The best help has been Colin making me do things myself rather than just telling me. It's his patience and spending the time that is so useful – and the fact that we meet face to face in my house where all my equipment is."
She also repeated one of her favourite phrases which rings true every time - "It's never too late to learn!" I couldn't agree more – and if Dido keeps learning at this rate she'll be the one tutoring me…
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