Holiday technology gifts for the 65+ seniors

Tech pundits weren't surprised when Nintendo's Wii videogame console became an instant hit with kids last year. But Grandma and Grandpa playing Wii games for hours in retirement homes across the country? A complete shock.

But Nintendo says the Wii's popularity among the over-65 crowd wasn't totally unexpected because the game, which simulates sports like bowling and tennis, is "intuitive ... not intimidating," said Perrin Kaplan, vice-president of marketing and corporate affairs at Nintendo of America.

Yep. Make it super-easy to use, and even the most tech-phobic seniors will come. The Wii console is the size of a remote control, and seniors swing it in front of a computerised image of a bowling alley or tennis court.

Erickson Retirement Communities discovered that Wii games were fun and good exercise for seniors in its retirement homes, because swinging the remote simulates motions people use when playing for real. With Wii tennis, "it's so hard for you not to move and simulate your tennis strokes," said Antonio Galvan, a program manager at an Erickson facility in Naperville.
In addition to Wii, YouTube, that bastion of quirky, homemade videos aimed at hipsters, has become another place for oldsters to hang out. Look for "senior citizen" on YouTube, and more than 1,000 videos pop up.

One video, titled "Senior Citizens Bah Hum Bug!," is a monologue by a senior pontificating about the bad rap he and his peers get for being old. Another video, "Gulfport Senior Citizens Harmonica Club," shows seniors tooting with glee. Erickson also uploaded a video of its residents playing Wii bowling.

"It's fun to watch seniors in competition," Galvan said. "The competitive vibe is very much alive. It's fun to watch the trash talking.”

There are also a slew of companies making tech products just for seniors. Jitterbug, a cellphone with large key pads, and Tek Partner, an oversized remote control that's "easy to use, easy to see, impossible to lose," according to its ad, are a few products targeted to the elderly.
Joyce Roberts, 63, isn't technically a senior yet, but she got a Jitterbug last May because the keys on her old cellphone were too tiny to see and she didn't need all the bells and whistles it came with. Jitterbug is "super-simple," said the Del Mar, California, resident. "I just wanted a phone. I didn't want to play games, take pictures or surf the Web."

Eons, a social networking site for "adults lovin' life on the flip side of 50," focuses on baby boomer concerns, and aging is a big topic. Founder and Chief Executive Jeff Taylor said the site's longevity calculator is its most popular feature. A user answers 40 questions online, and, based on the user's current health and lifestyle, the calculator spits out the age he or she will live to. The calculator also offers suggestions on how to become healthier.

While many seniors may shun technology, some take to it avidly. Richard Anderson, 74, practically lives online and is more tech-savvy than some people half his age. The Florida retiree banks online, files taxes online, books travel online and views football games on his computer while watching another game on TV. He also uses Google's Picasa2 and Microsoft's Picture It to design his own greeting cards from digital photos. And Internet phone service Skype keeps him connected to family in Virginia and Minnesota.

Experts say more tech-loving seniors like Anderson are on the horizon as baby boomers, who are used to using technology at work and at home reach retirement age, setting the stage for a huge number of older tech users. Andrew Carle, director of the Assisted Living/Senior Housing Administration programme at George Mason University in Fairfax., said, "Older boomers will seek tech, and they will expect it."

From Sify