Teaching a 93-Year-Old How to Use Her iPhone
Angelika Fuellemann
The pandemic has been hard on everyone. It has been especially difficult on the house-bound elderly. I am seeing this first hand with my boyfriend's 93-year-old mother Gerry. My boyfriend and I moved into Gerry's home at the beginning of the lockdown and took over the duties of the caretakers and cleaning people, enabling her to stay in the home that she has been living in for 63 years.
Gerry has an iPhone 7 Plus that she rarely uses. Since we have moved in, she has been watching us on our devices and has started wanting to join in on the fun.
There is a lot to be said about technology bridging the gap as everyone socially isolates. Staying in touch via text, being involved in a fun text chain, and admiring the latest photos of the great-grandchild whenever one likes are all advantages that an iPhone can offer the house-bound.
As the lockdown has continued, she has become frustrated trying to use her phone on a more regular basis.
I considered what I could do to help that would be rewarding for both of us. I framed it as a UX experiment, hypothesizing that small doses over time would allow the biggest chance of success. I could sit with her once a week for about 40 minutes, allowing me to get an understanding of what she doesn't know and adjust accordingly. It wouldn't overwhelm the student, it would allow the teaching to sink in, and it wouldn't frustrate the hell out the tutor. Plenty of patience would be needed.
Wish me luck! Another installment coming soon!
Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash