My 91-year-old friend has had a Nordstrom credit card since 1968, and she has been ordering a specific brand and size of jeans from them for over 20 years. However, she encountered a roadblock during her last attempt to purchase her beloved jeans by phone when she was informed that she needed to follow a hyperlink to confirm her purchase and credit card information.
I told the customer service person that most 91-year-olds don’t know what a hyperlink is, but I would follow up with her text message instructions.
Negotiating cell phone transactions and learning the intricacies of the newer iPhones, online purchasing, and other computer skills can be challenging for senior citizens.
But help is available. Methow At Home (MAH) offers a course from AARP’s Senior Planet to help older adults use technology to learn new skills.
Like many aging Baby Boomers, I stretch daily, attend yoga classes, and read articles in AARP magazine, a publication sent to everyone when they turn 50 but often ignored for another 15 years, featuring titles such as “16 Early Signs of Dementia,” “Foods You Shouldn’t Eat after 60,” and “Don’t Let Your Age Stop Your Sex Life.”
Jeff Powney — noted dancer, physical therapist, and yoga instructor — constantly but gently chides us at yoga sessions for being part of a generation that believes “no pain, no gain.” True, many of us overdid it (and still overdo it) and are now paying for it with replacement knees, hips, aching backs, and frequent PT appointments, but there are many resources to help us age more healthily and gracefully.
The latest offering I attended, “Doing Aging: The Social Construction of Getting Older,” is a six-week series available free of charge through the Academy of Lifelong Learning at Western Washington University. Joshua Porter, who leads Western’s Sustainability Pathways Program, is the facilitator and played a key role in bringing this program to our community. It’s co-sponsored by the Winthrop Library, MAH, and Friends of the Winthrop Library and details about it are on the MAH website. During a recent yoga session, Jeff highly recommended that all of us senior yoginis attend.
Exercising the brain is just as important as exercising the body (this could be the title of an AARP article). The Academy of Lifelong Learning at Western is inspired by the belief that a curious mind never retires. Academy of Lifelong Learning is a “volunteer-led community providing educational and cultural programs in a pressure-free environment.” Road Scholar, formerly Elderhostel, is a not-for-profit organization that offers educational travel programs primarily for older adults, focusing on lifelong learning and enriching experiences through travel.
MAH’s programs are geared towards “aging in place with dignity and grace.” I’ve written in another Valley Life about their role in encouraging social connection and alleviating loneliness, but other valuable programs and events are available free of charge.
“Learn About the Library” helps anyone, especially seniors who may not be familiar with current technology, understand how to access electronic books, Hoopla, and Libby. “Methow Creative Aging Volunteer Training” offers a free three-hour training session to learn how to “lead art and music activities while employing methods to promote a joyful experience for care partners and people living with dementia.” “Game Day at the Grange” is a social event offered monthly at the Twisp Valley Grange that keeps the mind sharp by playing board and card games.
“Ducks in a Row,” funded by the Methow Valley Elder Care Coordination Network and co-sponsored by MAH, Room One, and several other valley non-profits, will start with a soup dinner at 5 p.m. on April 22 at the Twisp Valley Grange. This presentation gives “guidance on where to start planning and how to have conversations with those close to you about what quality of life means to you.” All participants will leave with an end-of-life planning checklist and essential documents.
And if you want to mix and mingle with MAH staff, members, and volunteers, there’s always happy hour at the Mazama Public House.
