How to Become a Computer-Savvy Senior

I often talk about ways you can be more engaged with technology because every day I see folks struggling with things that could be so much easier if they were aided by technology. Things that would make their lives easier and help gain back some time each day that could be used for something else.

One of the most difficult obstacles for seniors to overcome in computing is the assumption that technology is best suited for the younger population – that is so far from the truth! So much so that I want to share five reasons to become more dependent upon technology and give you 10 tips that will help you become more technology-savvy.

Five Reasons to Embrace Technology

1. Mental Stimulation. Scientists have found that folks between 65 and 75 years of age are able to expand their attention, improve their memory, and increase their sequencing abilities by engaging in technology.
2. Independence and Fulfillment. Simply stated, it’s often a lot easier to do most things if aided by technology. Living (often alone) as part of the aging generation, has some inherent difficulties, some of which can be automated or at least aided by technology.
3. Social Connectivity. Connecting with your friends and loved ones via email or social media is so easy, thanks to technology. All you need is a phone or a computer that has a camera, an Internet connection and you are good to go. When we interact with others, we feel happier and less alone.
4. Get Things Delivered to You. Mobility is an issue for some seniors who are disabled or are impaired in other ways. With a computer and an internet connection, buying your groceries and shopping for all your needs is only a click away.
5. Software that Improves Your Life. Many software apps can be helpful to seniors for tracking their diet, counting the number of calories you burn while walking, and even reminding you to do activities, such as taking medicine or walking the dog.

10 Tips to Help You Become Technology-Savvy

1. Conquer Your Fear of Technology. Fear holds us back from many things, especially new things that can be intimidating and scary. You haven’t come this far in your life by being timid, but by being brave. Look back at all those things that you were once afraid of and now enjoy. Technology will also be fun – if you embrace it.
2. Have a Positive and Open Attitude. It’s so true that your attitude determines your altitude, so try to have an open attitude towards learning about computers and the Internet. You may find you really like the experience a lot, and even find it exciting.
3. Reach Out for Help. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help when you make the choice to learn about technology. This might be a good excuse to call a nephew, niece, or grandkid you haven’t talked to recently. Younger folks like helping us older folks with technology…it makes them feel smarter! Or if you run into immediate issues, you can always reach out to our FLS Team.
4. Internet Search. If you happen to be where there is no one to assist you, not to worry – the search engine in your browser is your friend. Once you are connected to the Internet, you can use it to find out anything you need to know. Whatever you search on, you’ll be presented with countless detailed results to choose from.
5. Take Control of Your Passwords. Over 85% of us write down our account login credentials in a little notebook, or on a napkin – then we pay the price when someone gains access to these passwords. Get a good password manager and use it! Click for one of the best password managers available, and it’s totally free!
6. Take Your Time. As you explore new things in technology, take breaks when you feel exhausted, and don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t grasp something right away. Be patient. After learning a new technology skill, take time to practice it repeatedly so that you really understand it.
7. Learn When to Charge Your Batteries. Nearly all technology devices have lithium-ion batteries that aren’t susceptible to damage. But it’s still best to always charge these batteries when they reach about 20-30% capacity. Keeping your device plugged in all day can reduce it’s battery life.
8. Stay Connected (Don’t Always Turn off Your Devices). Many years ago, it was protocol to aways turn off a computer when it wasn’t in use for a long period of time, like overnight. Today’s devices are engineered to leave on all the time…in fact, this is better in many regards. With computers, you won’t miss necessary updates and with smartphones, your family and friends can always reach you if your phone is turned on.
9. Search History. If you share your computer or tablet with someone, say a spouse or your grandchildren, who want to play games on it, make sure to keep your activities private. The best way to do this is to always delete your search history when you are done. If you’re not sharing your device with anyone, you can forego this.
10. Reviews are Important ­– but Be Careful. Qualified reviews by folks who actually bought and use a product are essential when buying anything online. But be careful that you’re reading a genuine review, not a review that is really nothing more than advertising for an inferior product. All too often, reviews are written by individuals or sites who make money if you click on the product and purchase it after reading the review on their site (this is called affiliate marketing). These bogus reviews are usually found at the very top of the search engine results and marked as “Ad” or “Sponsored”.
    
    Whether booking a hotel room, renting a car, buying a new smartphone or computer – you’ll find online reviews for everything. But be careful that you’re reading user reviews, and not collusive reviews posted by folks paid to rate something highly, or sites that make revenue through affiliate marketing deals.

Larry McJunkin, President

NOTE: If you have ideas for topics you’d like to see in our monthly newsletter, please let me know!

REMINDER: April 11th is National Drug Take Back Day! Our friends at the Tellico Community Foundation are sponsoring this event in Tellico Village and at Kahite. Read more here about how to safely dispose of unused prescription drugs.

10,000 Computers – and Still Going Strong!

This month is all about how our Technology Access Program (TAP) just reached an unbelievable milestone – refurbishing and repurposing 10,000 computers! Certainly, a milestone that was unimaginable when the TAP program was conceived in 2007.

TAP was envisioned by Warren Sanders, a pillar in our club, and over the past 15 years his leadership has taken TAP to a level that makes us all shake our heads in disbelief. Not that we didn’t believe in Warren, or the many other volunteers who’ve been instrumental in TAP’s success…but disbelief that this community outreach program would ever be so successful and touch the lives of so many children and families in counties surrounding Tellico Village.

TAP intakes computers from many sources – Tellico Village residents who are upgrading to a new computer, and companies and organizations (local and national) who donate their old computers instead of recycling them. Through the efforts of many volunteers who put each donated system through a rigorous refurbishment process of cleaning (both digitally and physically), testing, and re-installing the operating system, the finished computers are readied for their new homes. This effort was especially important during the pandemic when children were forced into remote learning environments. Many of them didn’t have computers at home and TAP was able to fill a huge void in the education system and in the lives of these children.

The 10,000th computer was one of several donated to the Sols Write House Empowerment Center in Knoxville, an organization that helps children in the local area. This, and many other similar organizations, especially local schools, have been the primary recipients of TAP’s work over the years. With recently increased government funding for educational computers in federal schools, we thought the TAP program might start slowing down, but that’s hardly been the case…it’s still going strong!

I know I speak for all the volunteers in our club, as well as our many members, in thanking everyone connected with TAP for the amazing work they do that impacts so many children and families. And Warren, we especially thank you for your vision and leadership of this program during the past 15 years.

Larry McJunkin, President

Tellico Village Computer users Club

Two Things for 2023

As we begin 2023, there are two things I’d like to share with you. The first is something we enjoy being able to offer our members each January, and the second…well, you can read that when you finish reading the first one.

TAP Computers for Sale

Every January, the rules regarding our status as a 501(c)3 organization allow us to sell a number of refurbished computers, with the stipulation of putting the proceeds back into our refurbishment program to further the TAP cause. Each year we do this…and each year it’s a successful, sell-out event, almost instantly. 

Effective immediately, TAP has an assortment of refurbished Windows 10 and 11 desktops, laptops, and all-in-ones for sale. These computers are in excellent condition and the typical prices are only $150-175. If you’d like to purchase a (new-to-you) computer and help further the TAP cause, head on over to our office and select yours today!

Tellico Village Computer Users Club
244 Lakeside Plaza
Loudon, TN 37774

(Located under the Thai Bistro restaurant – enter from behind the building.)

Volunteers Needed

Because of the many services we offer, the TVCUC has become one of the largest organizations in Tellico Village. And while the good side of this is that we can offer you unparalleled First Level Support for your technology devices, provide hundreds of repurposed computers every year to local needy children and families, provide our members technology help resources, provide assistance to other Tellico Village organizations, and much more – we can’t do it without volunteer support…without you! If you’re willing to volunteer just a couple of hours a month, it would be a huge help.

It bears repeating that you don’t need to be a geek, or even a technology enthusiast, to volunteer. We have many open positions in education, management, administration, and other areas. We have a core group of members who help keep your club functional, which is a hefty amount of work. It’s very much like running a business organization, which to some degree, it is.

Among other positions, we desperately need to fill two Board of Director positions – Secretary and the Vice President. Regarding the Secretary position, this requires about two hours work per month, and half of that is simply attending the board meeting. We conduct our meetings via Zoom and record them, so no manual notetaking is necessary. The Vice President position is also a low-stress, minimal-effort role that does not automatically roll over to the position of President (unless you desire that). Please consider volunteering for one of these (or other) positions by sending us an email.

Larry McJunkin, President
Tellico Village Computer users Club

Don’t Get Scammed Over the Holidays (or Anytime)

The holidays are the perfect time for scammers to try and take advantage of you. A couple of these tips we’ve shared with you previously, but they’re worth repeating, along with some new ones.

Scammers PRETEND to be from an organization you know.

Scammers often pretend to be contacting you on behalf of the government or an organization you know. They might use a real name, like the Social Security Administration, the IRS, or Medicare, or make up a name that sounds official. Some pretend to be from a business you know, like a utility company, a tech company, or even a charity asking for donations. They use technology to change the phone number that appears on your caller ID. So the name and number you see might not be real.

Scammers say there’s a PROBLEM or a PRIZE.

They might say you’re in trouble with the government. Or you owe money. Or someone in your family had an emergency. Or that there’s a virus on your computer. Some scammers say there’s a problem with one of your accounts and that you need to verify some information. Others will lie and say you won money in a lottery or sweepstakes but must pay a fee to get it.

Scammers PRESSURE you to act immediately.

Scammers want you to act before you have time to think. If you’re on the phone, they might tell you not to hang up so you can’t check out their story. They might threaten to arrest you, sue you, take away your driver’s or business license, or deport you. They might say your computer is about to be corrupted.

Scammers tell you to PAY in a specific way.

They often insist that you pay by using cryptocurrency, by wiring money through a company like MoneyGram or Western Union, or by putting money on a gift card and then giving them the number on the back. Some will send you a check (that will later turn out to be fake), then tell you to deposit it and send them money. Some will even ask you for your bank routing information and then actually put a small amount of money in your account. But then with the same routing information, they debit money from your account. 

Take These Six Precautions to Avoid a Scam:

1. Block unwanted calls and text messages. Take steps to block unwanted calls and to filter unwanted text messages that are built into iPhone and Android phones.
2. Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn’t expect. Honest organizations won’t call, email, or text to ask for your personal information, like your Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers.
3. If you get an email or text message from a company you do business with and you think it’s real, it’s still best not to click on any links. Instead, contact them using a website or phone number you know is trustworthy. Don’t call a number they gave you or the number from your caller ID. Resist the pressure to act immediately. Honest businesses will give you time to make a decision. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer.
4. Know how scammers tell you to pay. Never pay someone who insists you pay with cryptocurrency, a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram, or a gift card. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.
5. Before you do anything else, tell someone — a friend, a family member, a neighbor — what happened. Talking about it could help you, or who you’re talking with, realize it’s a scam.
6. Never enter your credit card number on an http:// website! But if the web address begins with https://, your computer is talking to the website in a secure code that no one can decipher. If a website ever asks you to enter your credit card information, you should always look to see if the web address begins with https://. If it doesn’t, you should NEVER enter sensitive information such as a credit card number, SS #, etc.

Report Scams to the FTC. If you were scammed or think you saw a scam, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

On behalf of the TVCUC Board of Directors and all the volunteers that keep our club running to serve you, we wish you a Joyous Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!

Larry McJunkin, President

Whether you’re buying technology tools and gadgets for yourself, or family and friends, it’s easy to fall prey to gift guides that feature items based solely on affiliate marketing (where the publisher receives a percentage of the sale). For our last monthly bulletin of the year, we’re featuring some very highly rated and affordable gift ideas that we’ve vetted for both great prices and usefulness. 

At the end of our Holiday Gift Guide, I have a few important tips if you’re thinking about purchasing a new computer for yourself during the holidays. These tips will save you money (and possibly some regret) if you consider them before your purchase. 

(NOTE: Prices in our Gift Guide are at the time of publication and subject to change.)

Holiday Gift Guide

Rechargeable Hand Warmers – ($19.99/24.99) Kudos to whoever invented these! They work so much better than the disposable hand warmers and are great for cold weather walks, golf, or just to have in case you get stranded in the cold. It’s not only a convenient hand warmer but also an emergency backup battery if your mobile phone battery is low. This is a great gift for anyone on your list…including yourself.

Apple AirTags – ($24.98/29.00) For anyone who uses an iPhone, Apple AirTags have become an absolute must-have item. Keep track of and find your items along with tracking friends and devices in the Find My app. Simple one-tap setup instantly connects an AirTag with your iPhone or iPad. Great for tracking luggage, keys, pets, children, elderly loved ones, purses, backpacks…the list is endless. All communications between you and an AirTag are anonymous and encrypted for privacy. Location data and history are never stored on the AirTag.

12-inch Screen Magnifier for Smartphone – ($19.95/24.95) Mobile Phone 3D Magnifier Projector Screen for Movies, Videos, and Gaming. If you watch movies and videos on your smartphone and would like to reduce the accompanying visual fatigue and discomfort, this is a perfect solution. The screen magnifier effectively doubles the size of your display and still allows you to watch in full HD. Compatible with all smartphones and requires no external power or battery. It is lightweight and portable so you can take it with you anywhere you go.

Bose QuietComfort Noise Canceling Earbuds – ($179/199) Industry-leading, noise canceling Bluetooth earbuds with an Integrated Sound Processor. Exceptional sound quality, crystal clear call quality, beam-forming microphone and a bone-conduction sensor provide clear voice detection even in noisy environments. 8-hour battery, water resistant and fast, wireless charging.

Kasa Slim WiFi Smart Plug (4-pack) – ($39.99/49.99) These Kasa smart plugs are one of the highest-rated smart plugs available and they are the best way to easily get started in automating your home. Why get up out of your comfy recliner to turn on lights or appliances when Siri or Google will do it for you. Extremely easy and quick setup, compact design, and great for holiday lights and Christmas trees.

Oster Electronic Wine Opener – ($26.87/29.99) This is one of the best electric wine openers on the market. This wine opener has been around for over 20 years with the same design and has the best rating of any similar wine opener. Opens 30 bottles on a single charge. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for this item.

Kindle Paperwhite Book Reader– ($94.99/139.99) No gift guide would be complete without a Kindle, which is hands down, the absolute best book reader on the planet. During the holidays, Amazon deeply discounts all the Kindle models, but the Kindle Paperwhite is the best, and most affordably priced. The Paperwhite experience is so much more enjoyable than reading books on your smartphone or iPad.

Tips for Purchasing a New Computer

If you plan to purchase a new computer over the holidays, please keep these things in mind. The following advice is aimed at all-around use, such as email, surfing the internet, video calls, and photo sharing. 

RAM (Random Access Memory) – More RAM means improved computer speed. While 8 to 16 GB of RAM will be enough for most average users, more is always better.

Processor – The higher the processing power, the faster your computer will run. A 2.3GHz to 3.5GHz processor is enough for most folks. If you use your computer for lots of photo or video editing, look to the high end of this range, or even higher.

Display Resolution – This impacts the cost of a new computer more than anything, but I recommend you don’t skimp here…get the most display resolution you can afford. Basic resolution is 1024 x 768, but I recommend getting at least 2560 x 1440. Higher resolution means text and images will be sharper and easier to see. 

Disk Storage – Always…always opt for a Solid-State Drive (SSD). Greater storage space means you can save more images. videos, and files on your computer. But that said, 128GB to 256GB provides sufficient space for most users because you can get additional storage by getting an external hard drive or cloud storage later. I personally do everything from the cloud and keep my data and content backed up to an additional cloud storage solution. This means if you ever lose your computer, you will never lose the data and content that’s on it.

Larry McJunkin, President