Sedalia seniors learn how to surf the Internet through class

SEDALIA, Mo. -- You're never too old to learn. Right? Internet. Router. E-mail. Google. MySpace.

These concepts are foreign to many senior citizens who grew up when computers were absent from kindergarten class.

Cecil Lujin, 76, of Sedalia, doesn't have a computer. He said he gets his news from television.

"It might be handy for the Internet," he said. "I see it as a terrific repository of information."

But, Lujin said he doesn't like that the Internet has become a substitute for human contact. On a recent trip with a friend to the doctor, he was referred to the Internet when he asked about a procedure the woman would possibly need.

"Is that any way to treat a patient?" he said.

Lujin said he has used computers at the library, but he doesn't "want to sit there all day in front of a keyboard."

Janice Chalmers, 68, of Sedalia, said she prefers speaking with people face-to-face but is learning how to use e-mail to keep in touch with relatives and how to use the Internet to look up information.

"I have an antique piece of furniture, and I'm looking for an appraiser who is qualified to appraise antiques; that was one thing I wanted to use the Internet to find somebody," she said.

Chalmers is like many others who are filling beginner computer and Internet courses at State Fair Community College, Sedalia Public Library and Boonslick Regional Library. Chalmers has taken computer courses at SFCC.

Jo Lynn Turley, director of the Sedalia Senior Center, said she's noticed several seniors express an interest in learning about computers.

"I think a lot more would like to take advantage of it, but there's limited access for training," she said.

John Wilferth, an instructor of SFCC's lifetime learning computer courses, said his 24-seat classes are generally full, and both libraries have waiting lists for their courses.

The Senior Center staff is trying to set up a computer lab to offer classes and has collected some donated equipment.

"[Seniors] want to learn about the Internet," she said. "I think people really want to learn how to surf the Internet."

Most seniors are interested in e-mailing relatives, keeping up with news and sports, and researching health and legislative issues, Turley said.

"They aren't trying to become computer experts; they're trying to get the functionality of it," Wilferth said. "I think what they're looking for to start with is to gain an understanding of what it's all about."

Eventually, everyone will need to know how to use a computer, instructors said.

"Everything seems to be on the computer somewhere," Wilferth said.

That's part of the driving force to learn, said Amy Elvers, outreach librarian at the Public Library who teaches computer courses.

"A lot of the seniors are realizing the things they used to be able to do on paper, they won't be able to do anymore, like taxes," she said. "They're basically being forced to use the Internet."

A lot of seniors look to the Senior Center for help when government agencies, such as the Social Security Administration or Medicare, refer them online for forms they need.

"I think a lot of seniors feel left out because everything is going to the Internet," Turley said.

People learning to use computers struggle the most with technical aspects, such as installing programs and picking providers, Elvers said.

Elvers said she's also noticed that those who know how to use a typewriter catch on easier. Some struggle with using a mouse and getting their eyes to coordinate with its movement, she said.

But it's not just users who need to grow, Elvers said.

"The computers are going to have to adjust, too, for their older users," she said.

Some programs or Web sites use too small print, and senior citizens often have a hard time reading it. Elvers said there is a way to change the settings on a computer to enlarge the type.

Elvers cited another example when Yahoo upgraded its site and changed all the icons and their placement. That change was difficult for some senior citizens who learned with the previous version, she said. Some younger computer users probably had an easier time adjusting, but "for the seniors, that's a big thing," she said.

Chalmers said she's concerned her identity will be stolen online.

"That's partly the thing I wanted to learn was how to protect myself from identity theft," she said.

Some senior citizens are intimidated by the technology, thinking they might break it or have to ask their grandchildren what could be a "stupid" question, Wilferth said.

"That's intimidating if you're 80-something, and you consider yourself to be experienced, and you have to have your 10-year-old granddaughter show you something," Wilferth said. "It's kind of a role reversal."