My parents and technology

I just returned from my trip to the Philippines to visit my parents whom I had not seen for two years. My dad celebrated his 84th birthday. It was a wonderful trip to catch up for the lost time and spend time with them but as is always the case, leaving my parents was very difficult. I was talking to a friend about it and she said, “It’s the reality.” She was right. It’s the reality of living thousands of miles away.

But there is one saving grace. Technology. With the iPad, my dad sends me texts and emails. We also chat via FaceTime, Duo or Hangouts. My dad even got to meet my son’s baseball teammates during one of his practices.

This is the reason why our nonprofit, Center for Aging in the Digital World, exists – to empower seniors with digital literacy so they can connect with their grandchildren, children, friends, their community and the world. It might be inevitable for your sons, daughters and grandchildren to live far away but technology has removed distance as a barrier to see each other. Sure, it’s not the same as seeing them in person, but it is now an option that 20 years ago was not thought possible.

“Keeping Seniors Connected” is this year’s theme of our nonprofit’s second annual Living in the Digital World Senior Expo on Thursday, May 10, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Don Umerley Civic Center in Rocky River. It’s a free event. Come with a friend and enjoy refreshments, learn how to keep connected, win prizes and chat with our senior centric exhibitors.

For more information, visit empowerseniors.org.

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Volume 10, Issue 9, Posted 10:00 AM, 05.01.2018