Wired Seniors

Television viewers in Los Angeles, especially seniors, got some expert advice on computer learning in May on LA CityView 35.

John Scherer, CEO and founder of VIDEO PROFESSOR joined host Paul Petersen "The Donna Reed Show," Nat Kittisarapong of the Borchardt Cyber Café and Rob Blackwell of Gateway Computers to discuss the rapid growth of computer use among seniors.

Host Petersen quickly told John Scherer that he used his own 89-year-old mother-in-law as a test subject for VIDEO PROFESSOR’S popular line of computer tutorials. Paul told John that his mother-in-law was learning computing within half an hour! At 89 years young!

Gateway’s Paul Blackwell had some interesting statistics to share about the rapid growth of computer use by seniors, already up 47 percent since 2000. Overall he said, 22 percent of seniors are "wired" and computer use among "younger" seniors is as high as 70-75%. But the number grows each and every day.

Nat Kittisarapong added that visitors to her cyber café have the same interests as all generations of computer users. People want to surf the net, send e-mails to friends around the country and even half-a-world away.

And as John Scherer pointed out, seniors not only want to receive pictures of their grand kids, they want to send pictures of themselves back to their grand kids. And VIDEO PROFESSOR can teach them how.

VIDEO PROFESSOR’S "learn as you do method" of learning was demonstrated during the CityView 35 broadcast and as the panelists agreed, seniors like everyone else, don’t like to be confused by complicated manuals or deal with difficult to schedule classroom lessons. They simply want to learn computer subjects that interest them, and at a pace convenient to them.

As John Scherer told his fellow panelists, you can’t make mistakes with his lessons because you learn as you do and can repeat anything you don’t understand until you master that particular skill.

Paul Blackwell also pointed out that many seniors are buying laptop and notebook computers as so many travel around the country, or have multiple homes and simple want to stay connected wherever they go. And VIDEO PROFESSOR CD based lessons play just as easily in your RV as they do your den.

Another reason seniors are becoming "wired" is so many of them have tried retirement, quickly discovered they were bored and are returning to the work place. And programs like Excel, PowerPoint and so many other popular business applications are must-have skills. And VIDEO PROFESSOR teaches them all.

Paul Blackwell told the panel that companies like Gateway are developing special computer mouse designed for people who might have difficulty using a traditional mouse. Kitterasapong added that larger monitors are also popular with her wired seniors.

As John Scherer quipped, he just doesn’t understand with all the big screens out there, why so many web designers still use such tiny print!

What’s the bottom line? Just like everyone else, seniors are discovering that computing is opening up a whole new world of communication and opportunity. For some it’s skills as basic as sending an e-mail, for others its learning important new skills as they continue in, or re-join the workplace. Others keep track of investments and conduct on-line banking from home or their RV or vacation home.

And with companies like VIDEO PROFESSOR taking a leadership role in both recognizing their needs, and providing them with an easy to use way to learn, more and more seniors will log-on and communicate like never before.

And this side note, Paul Peterson is known to millions from his work on TV and in movies. But when it came to hosting a talk show, guess whom he looked to as a role model? Yep, John Scherer, known to millions himself as THE VIDEO PROFESSOR.

To learn more about VIDEO PROFESSOR visit www.videoprofessor.com
To learn more about Gateway Computers visit www.gateway.com
To learn more about Los Angeles CityView go to www.lacity.org