Items to help high-tech seniors
With more seniors expected to be on computers, high-tech companies, including Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, have developed or are working on a variety of products for them, including:
• Easier programs with commonsense icons.
• Soft-touch keyboards for arthritic hands.
• Larger labels on keys for people with failing eyesight.
• Screen magnifiers that enlarge not just type, but also videos and photos.
• Programs aimed specifically at elderly people, such as daily prescription trackers, medical record trackers and memory-skill games.
• Bluetooth headsets for people with hearing aids.
• And, one of the most incredible, an edible computer chip made of vegetable matter that could be swallowed and allow a computer to monitor a variety of health conditions, like heart rate and blood pressure.
Sources: AARP; Myine Electronics; Microsoft
OLDER AMERICANS ONLINE
• 37: Percentage of Americans 65 or older who are online. In 2000, it was less than 20 percent. (By comparison, 75 percent of those age 50-64 are online.)
• 43: Percentage of seniors who expect to purchase electronic products this year (compared with 66 percent among those age 18-34).
• 42: Percentage of seniors using online news sites who say they check the Internet several times a day for breaking news. (Compared with just 18 percent for people younger than 20.)
• 46: Percentage of wired seniors who say the Web is crucial for maintaining social relationships. (The number held true even for people older than 70!)
• 58: Percentage of users older than 50 who say they sign on to an online community site at least once daily. (Compared with 47 percent for people younger than 20.)
Sources: Pew Internet & American Life Project; SeniorJournal.com; WiredSeniors.com
