Last month, my daughter and I tried a Skype video chat. Feeling a little more comfortable by now, but still nervous about it. This is ridiculous, thought I, a lot of people really like Skype and I can use it to call a land-line phone from my computer, so I needed to give it a proper workout.

Well, I have to say, I ended up majorly excited about using Skype. My reason? I was looking at the different options available and noticed one marked  ‘Share Screen’.  I quickly Skyped my daughter and asked her to tell me what she saw on her computer screen. Then I clicked ‘Share Screen’ on my Skype application and started opening and closing programs, typing, and going on the Internet. And she could see every little thing that happened on my computer screen!

Now this may not mean much to you, but for me, that ability is huge. I tried to learn to share my screeen with some webinar software that I paid for faithfully every month and could never get that function to work. And Skype did it! Not only that – it’s free.

Knowing I can use Skype that way allows me to help my clients with areas where they’re stuck since I can show them what to do. No more trying to explain over the phone 500 times. No more having to drive for half an hour to show them – especially since gas is expensive now and I don’t get paid for travel time.

Can you hear the excitement in my voice? Can you see me dancing around my office? Yahoo. Skype I think you’re wonderful:)

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I’m giving a presentation to the seniors at the local community center next week to encourage them to join the computer club that I run. Usually I get at least one person asking “why should I bother with computers at my age?”

I intend to print off this article and show everyone that our brains are every bit as able now as when we were younger. Go ahead and read the article for a good dose of inspiration.

O, and I want to eventually live somewhere like Hillside Manor. They are doing everything they can to keep the residents healthy and happy. Good for them.

Technorati Tags: older Twitter user, using social media

I’ve been reading about something called the Sue Center that provides an environment for those who can’t use a keyboard or mouse to interact with a computer.

Even when severly limited by MS and unable to move from the neck down, disabled people can now control some aspects of their environment. Using specialized free software paired with a device that allows the computer to read head movements,  it’s possible to:

• Keep a journal.
• Read books.
• Consult a dictionary and thesaurus.
• Correspond by email.
• Send text messages.
• Create and view slideshows of pictures.
• Access selected websites.
• Play games.
• Choose music or radio and adjust the volume.
• Control a TV or DVD like a universal remote.
• Keep a calendar of events.
• Read the Bible on the computer.
• Make telephone calls using  Skype.
• Keep in touch with loved ones and feel less isolated.

I encourage you to check out their website at the Sue Center. Besides being impressed with the capabilities of the program and the compassion of it’s creator, I was reminded how thankful I need to be for those little things (like movement) that I take for granted.

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Other benefits were increased hand-eye coordination, distraction from aches and pains, and sharpened focus. Lots of reasons to use your computer (or to encourage your parent or grandparent to).

Go online and you’ll find that many seniors, ranging from 70 to 93 years old, are writing  regularly on a wide range of topics from politics, to local  events, to  gardening and nature.

I see the positive  effects that computer skills have on the  lives of seniors every  day. My 84-year-old mother wanders around the house looking  for a sunny spot to settle down with her laptop. Then she works  on creating her newest ebook, or signs up as an affiliate for a  product  she wants to promote on one of her blogs.

Writing  a blog keeps  minds active, introduces new friends  from around the globe, and  gives seniors a renewed interest  in life.

I wonder if a study should be done to see if  computer-using  seniors live longer? They seem to need extra years to finish  all the  things they want to do!

Technorati Tags: seniors and computer use, increased brain power, blogs

Anyway, the new club is off to a slow start, but that’s normal until the word gets around. We have six computers and people can drop in and work on whatever they like. For instance, some of the people are taking evening computer classes once a week, but they want to practice what was taught. I’m there to help if needed and I usually bring in any new gadgets or computer books I find. Plus the week’s computer ads, which we discuss.

This week, one of the members started a document in Word and then pressed the email icon to see what it would do. I’ve never done my emails in Word and was pleased to see how this worked. Right away, the email toolbars appeared above the post. We were then able to add a photo and a fancy cursive signature. We even added a little audio file. Through teamwork, we all learned a little and enjoyed the time.

Another person wanted to create a table in Word. Easily done, but I wasn’t sure if it we could sort the contents of the table, since I’d never done it there. But the table function sorted easily, both for alphabetic and numeric data. Nice and easy to use if you don’t really need a full database program.

Bottom line: working together, we all learned a lot, had a good time, and look forward to next week.

Technorati Tags: computer club, Word, tables, email