ZELIENOPLE — Texting. Skyping. Tweeting.

All verbs that didn't exist 10 years ago. Now they're part of everyday life.

But as technology keeps altering the world, senior citizens are in danger of being left behind.

To help keep seniors current, Passavant Retirement Center, 401 S. Main St., offers a “Gizmos and Thingamajigs” class designed to accustom residents to using computers, digital cameras and cell phones and to e-mails, Facebook and texting.

“We're starting with the very basics. Some don't know how to open Word or save a document,” said Kim Groves, abundant and community life director at Passavant. “Next month we go into Internet security and identity theft and common safety being out there on the Internet.”

Groves said the class meets on the first and third Tuesday of the month in the computer room.

The room has six computers. “We try to keep it kind of small,” said Groves. That way, the class' two volunteer instructors can provide more individual attention, she said.

Volunteer instructors can provide better individual attention, she said.

“There is a lot of repetition and messing around in there. They are practicing the things they are learning. You can see them sending e-mails to their family,” said Groves.

“It's helping people stay better connected with their friends and family,” Groves said.

The two volunteers are George Martini, information technology director at Tri Rivers Surgical Associates in Butler, and Bridget Davis, Air Office of Special Investigations agent based at 911th Airlift Wing in Pittsburgh.

“We found them working with our outreach coordinator Donna Hawthorne,” said Groves. She said the instructors show a genuine interest in working with older adults.

Carol Johnson, a Passavant resident, has taken three or four classes.

“I wanted to learn how to send e-mails and receive them,” Johnson said. “I opened up a Gmail account and I need to learn more.

“The class meets every two weeks. Probably what I need to do is practice in between times,” Johnson said.

“I've taken other classes but I didn't return to it, that's why I'm taking this class,” Johnson said. “This time I intend to practice. It's the repetition that makes it familiar.”

Johnson said she wants to master the intricacies of e-mail to stay in touch with her family.

Another Passavant resident, Frank Longobardi, also wants to keep in touch with relatives.

“I send e-mails to my sister, my niece, my nephew and friends,” Longobardi said. “I want to learn more stuff too. I want to learn how to video conference.”

Larry St. Espirit, another resident, said, “There are a lot of different things you can do with the computers. I have an e-mail account. I just got it today.”

He hopes to use it to keep it touch with his relatives in Canada.

“I try to learn as much as I can,” St. Espirit said. “My wife used to play games on the computer with her sister in Montreal, but I haven't done that.”

“I will stick with the class even though I'm 84. You can't stop learning stuff. You have to keep up with it,” said St. Espirit.

Davis of Hopewell, Beaver County, said she found out about the instruction gig through volunteermatch.org.

She said after helping her father navigate texting and cell phones after her mother's death, “I found this hidden depth of patience I didn't know I had.”

“Really varies with the individual and what their comfort level is,” Davis said when asked about her teaching methods. “They want to get e-mail and learn how to get pictures from their cameras to their computers.”

“Lots of residents don't know how to get to Google. They didn't know how to turn on a computer,” said Davis. “My favorite part is when you see when they get something.”

“I do think it is rewarding when you see something click,” Davis said.

She said that most students benefit from one-on-one teaching and from practicing the skills they've learned in the class.