Topics

 

 

One of the most frequently asked technology questions by Boomers and older adults is not that technical.

“They want to know ‘If I unfriend someone (on Facebook) would they know?’” says Tak Sato, founder of the Cleveland-based nonprofit Center for Aging in the Digital World, which offers technology instruction to those age 60 and over. “I always chuckle when I get asked that in class.”

While folks in their 50s and 60s represent one of the largest groups to embrace the digital world, Sato says that they need to “relearn” how to nurture online friendships.

“Social media mimics real life. The difference is that in real life, you curate your relationships one person at a time. With social media, you can curate (many) at the snap of your fingers.”

Millennials, who don’t recall a time without cellphones and instant communication, just accept technology as normal, says Sato, but even people in their 40s often must learn to shift their frame of reference to virtual.

“Until a few years ago, it was OK not to embrace the digital world. Now it is essential to use digital,” Sato says, noting that some companies and organizations only accept communication through email or a website.

For example, people often work into their 60s and 70s. To receive unemployment benefits through Cuyahoga County, everyone must register their work search information. For the first two weeks, the process can be done via phone, but after that, job seekers must report the information on the county website.

By the numbers

More than three-quarters of adults 50 and older own some type of computer, and nearly nine in 10 have a mobile device. Almost three out of four adults in their 50s own a smartphone, and over half have a tablet, according to a November 2016 report by G.

...

 

Looking for Love (or Maybe Just Like)

Are Your Dating Moves Out of Date?

 

Valentine’s Day can be an opportunity for angst, especially if you’ve been out of the dating pool. Consider these dating suggestions for those of us 50 and older from Tracy Sorboro, regional director of Real Cleveland Singles (realclevelandsingles.com).

 

• Identify what it is you want. Marriage, a long-term relationship, casual dating or companionship? Time is precious; don’t date someone who wants something far different than you do.

 

• With age comes experience and knowledge. Trust your instincts. They’re more refined as we age.

 

• Age is just a number. Age matters in our younger years when considering marriage and a family; it’s less important as we get older. It’s common for someone 50 or older to date someone eight to 10 years older or younger.

 

• Make safety a priority. Use caution when meeting someone new. It is fine to suggest that you meet in a public place rather than having someone pick you up at home, especially if you hardly know the person.

 

• Find a partner with shared interests and hobbies. Think about the things you really enjoy doing and attend those types of events. You may meet someone there.

 

• Be very cautious using online dating sites that do not screen potential members. Who you think you are communicating with might not be a reality. Online dating sites can be deceptive.

 

• Have a positive attitude. We attract the kind of energy we put out.

 

• Be open to new possibilities. Don’t be afraid to try something new.

 

• Appearance matters less, and compatibility and shared interests much more.

 

 

 

Homebodies

A Great & Big Garden Show

 

Do you …

Scroll through Pinterest looking for garden inspiration?

Dream of visiting Waco, Texas, to get a glance at Chip and Joanna?

...

While we’re buried in our phones and work and Netflix binge-watching and other decidedly un-nature-like activities, it’s easy to forget the value of paying attention to the season’s cues. Some people want to do good deeds. Others want to improve their health. I want to be more like my chickens. Over the next two months, I intend to follow their example to recharge this winter, a season that inexplicably surprised me by arriving on time. ...

To avoid boredom in retirement, start planning seriously for what all that newfound time will mean for you. If you’re still working and can’t take a few months off to pretend you’re in retirement, use accumulated vacation or sick time to do nothing but stay in your town. ...

Did you know?Lucas is Ohio’s second-ever poet laureate, succeeding Amit Majmudar, a diagnostic nuclear radiologist in the Columbus area (and Cleveland native). The position was created in 2014. 45 U.S. states, and Washington, D.C., have poets laureate, according to the Library of Congress. While earning an MFA from the University of Virginia, Lucas studied under Akron native Rita Dove, a former U.S. Poet Laureate (1993-95). Lucas won the Cleveland Art Prize and its Emerging Artist Award in 2016, and that same year, also served as the inaugural William N. Skirball Writers’ Center writer-in-residence at the Cuyahoga County Public Library. Lucas has also taught at John Carroll Young Writer’s Workshop and Cleveland Clinic Program in Medical Humanities at the Lerner College of Medicine. The Ohio Poet Laureate Selection Committee chose Lucas for the post, following a statewide nomination and review process. ...

        Lake Health is seeking volunteers in the following areas: administration

reception desk, emergency department, gift shop, information desk, patient

room service, patient transport, patient registration, patient visitation, pastoral

care, pet therapy and Stephen Ministers. Applicants must be at least 14 years

old to volunteer. For more information call Volunteer Services Department at

TriPoint Medical Center 440-354-1665 or West Medical Center 440-953-6049.

...

The exhibit is a new series of paintings mostly created in the past year that reflect the turbulent political atmosphere that followed the 2016 presidential election. ...

When not eating, the ocean beckoned. Along the shore, we squinted behind our sunglasses to soften the sun’s intensity. Wading in tepid saltwater, we watched seagulls swarm beachgoers with snacks. ...