I love my 78-year-old mother and do whatever I can to help. But when she has computer trouble, she spins into a frustrated tech spiral, starts lashing out, and I want nothing to do with her. The independent woman who taught me to be resourceful by sending me to the dictionary now wants her results the easy way—for me to fix it in seconds—while I see an opportunity to teach her how to help herself. Consequently, we end up bickering.
We aren’t alone. According to the Pew Research Center, there are currently 62 million adults over the age of 65 in the US. That number is expected to reach 84 million—and leap from 18 percent to 23 percent of the population—by 2054. That’s a lot of seniors, and a heck of a lot of tech support.
“Sometimes learning from non-family members works best, because we tend to be more patient with other people,” says Skye N. Leedahl, a professor of human development and family science at the University of Rhode Island. Leedahl performs research as the university’s principal investigator that focuses on quality of life and health issues for older adults. The university has a tech support program of its own, a collaboration with a North American tech-support nonprofit known as Cyber-Seniors.
And that’s not the only such organization. Tom Kamber, the executive director of Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) and the Senior Planet educational program at AARP says in an email: “Older people are increasingly using tech for learning about healthy living and medical issues, about finances and professional skills—some are still working—and simply to stay sharp mentally.”
Kamber and a corps of volunteers launched OATS in 2004 to promote digital literacy among our older peers. They achieve it through their Senior Planet program (more below) as well as their advocacy and scholarship. OATS.org offers a glimpse into the organization’s 20-year history, its outreach and connectivity programs, and its online community portal/social network. The website also has an interactive finder that allows you to enter your zip code to find a Senior Planet partner site near you.
And those are just the industry OGs. The good news is there is a wealth of options—some of them are even free. The tech support sites listed below cater specifically to seniors.
Having other tech options is definitely going to help Mom and I. Having a neutral third party iron out her technical issues means I won’t have to resent the pressure of being the resident “tech guru,” and she won’t have to resent my attempts to train her. It should free me up to focus on appreciating the time we have together. Here’s hoping it does the same for you and the seniors in your life.
Senior Planet From AARP
Created in 2015, the novice-friendly Senior Planet website boasts a cohesive compendium of free online content: articles, courses, lectures, demo videos, and workshops aimed at our elders (in English, Spanish, and Cantonese). The offerings range from learning how to use a smartphone to virtual exercise classes to in-person meetups. The premier senior destination served upwards of half a million people last year and shows no signs of slowing down; they even have their own podcast. The organization started with one in-person location in New York City and now boasts satellite locations in North Country, New York; Montgomery County, Maryland; Denver; San Antonio; and Miami. Virtual one-on-one training—via Zoom—is also available.
Service hours are 9 am to 8 pm ET, Mondays through Fridays; 9 am to 2 pm ET on Saturdays. Email info@seniorplanet.org or call (888) 713-3495.
Cyber-Seniors
Cyber-Seniors was inspired by a 2014 documentary that followed a community of Canadian seniors learning to use the internet for the first time. The North American org (it operates in Canada and the US) offers training and free one-on-one tech support by pairing seniors with student volunteers for an intergenerational experience that both parties learn from. There are volunteers who speak English, Spanish, and French. The site features a newsletter, weekly events calendar, webinar, toll-free tech support, training for volunteers and seniors, merchandise, clips from the movie, and a section dedicated to cybersecurity protection. The organization has North American partners across two-thirds of the continent that have Cyber-Seniors programs (the University of Rhode Island is one of them).
Service hours are 8 am to 4 pm ET. Email scheduling@cyberseniors.org or call (844) 217-3057.
Quincy
Quincy was founded by Ryan Greene while he was a student at Columbia Business School in 2020 to help his grandfather and the other mature adults in his life having tech trouble. Remote tech support sessions are conducted via secured connections and recorded, should you want to revisit them in the future. Quincy also offers fraud protection: A tech support team reviews your emails, texts, voicemails, and social media for con games. There’s even a blog with posts aimed at non-techies. Plans start at $5/month, and the company also offers 14 minutes per month of free support to Medicare recipients
Service hours are 8 am to 8 pm ET. Message Quincy’s staff via the chat support feature on the website or call (208) 557-8466.
Candoo
CEO and creator Liz Hamburg created Candoo in 2019 after having “experienced firsthand the frustration that my parents have felt dealing with technology.” Plans for one-to-one tech concierge support consist of a single one-hour session ($75) or an annual membership ($228/year for singles, $340/year for couples). Support and training are also available in English and Spanish at the enterprise membership level for senior centers, nursing homes, and other care facilities. Memberships also include a free how-to library, videoconferencing tools, online shopping guides, and a downloadable tablet comparison sheet.
Service hours are 9 am to 8 pm ET. Email support@candootech.com or call (646) 758-6606.
The Smarter Service
Started by business partners Terry Dry and Greg Boles as “a personalized tech concierge service for older adults,” the Smarter Service offers its customers personalized one-on-one technical assistance based on the complexity of their digital needs. Customers are assigned the same concierge every time they use the service. In-person training is available in the greater Los Angeles and Orange Counties in California; Scenic and Scottsdale, Arizona; and Columbus and Indianapolis, Indiana. Support is also available for senior centers, nursing homes, and other retirement communities. Smarter Service offers free consultations to help you pick a plan. Annual memberships start at $125 per month, but other tailored packages are available.
Service hours are 9 am to 5 pm PT, Mondays through Saturdays. Email info@thesmarterservice.com or call (805) 765-8348.