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Yes, you CAN compute Computers and seniors do mix, and this group of tutors is the proof By JOHN DARLING Seniors say one of the worst things about aging is believing that you're losing your network of friends and family and your mental clarity along with it. The computer age has brought an antidote - it's called the Internet, and a platoon of Senior ACES members are here to teach you about it, for free. The myth that computers are too complex (or expensive) for older people is waning, as more and more seniors find in the cyber world a creative mental stimulus and a doorway to relatives and net buddies all over the world, said Imogene Kvist, editor of the Senior ACES (Adult Computer Educational Society) newsletter. About ACES Some facts about the Senior Adult Computer Educational Society Medford ACES: Meets from 2:30 to 4 p.m. every second and fourth Thursday, Moose Lodge, McAndrews at Ross Lane. Ashland ACES: Meets from 2:30 to 4:30 first and third Thursdays, Rivergate (church), Garfield at Iowa Street, Ashland. Cost: $15 a year for singles, $20 for couples. For more information: Phone Imogene Kvist at 858-9748 or Mary Donohue at 552-1255. Note: Medford ACES is seeking a large permanent classroom space. On the Internet: www.grrtech.com/senioraces/ index.html www.hometown.aol.com/ senioraces "It's been proven in studies that getting into computers is good for holding off dementia. You can converse with people anywhere in the world and - the main thing - stay in touch with your family, who may be all over the country." Senior ACES was created locally in 1993 as a nonprofit group providing twice-monthly classes and in-home tutoring for Rogue Valley people over 55. Membership is $15 a year for singles, $20 for couples. Classes and tutoring are free. Beginning classes cover the mysteries of buying a computer, setting it up, installing software, using a word processing program, sending e-mail and surfing the Internet. Advanced classes get into genealogy, digital images, greeting cards, investing, taxes, online auctions and other programs valued by seniors. ACES has Medford- and Ashland-based clubs with more than 500 members. In Medford, about 100 attend each workshop. A dozen tables are set up for hands-on classes with donated computers. An overhead projector is used to show keyboard moves. Any senior is welcome to experience the workshops as a guest before joining. Initially, seniors have to overcome an obstacle: that the computer was invented by their children's generation and carries the stereotype of being too complicated, dehumanizing and newfangled for people later in life, said ACES education chair Doris Chicano. "They're scared to death of computers," she said. "Every time they see e-mail on TV, they freak out. They're persecuted by their families if they resist computers, and that just adds to the problem." "For some, it seems almost like witchcraft," said ACES ex-president Bud Kemp, a retired military computer whiz who tutors in advanced computer problems. Seniors often "are dragged kicking and screaming" into computer life when their children pass on obsolete hand-me-down systems. "Then they get hooked, learn the basics, start getting e-mail from their grandchildren and, before you know it, they're out buying a new system," he said. "The children of seniors really enjoy teaching their parents, and it's a wonderful way for the older folks to get attention from their kids," said ex-ACES president Tom Lowe. When members desire personal help, they can pick one of 15 tutors listed in the monthly newsletter. If the question can't be handled by e-mail or phone, the tutor will pay a house call at no charge, said Red Mee, a tutor on beginning subjects. "I stand behind them when I tutor and I never touch the keyboard, because the learning doesn't take unless they do it themselves - and also learn to type," said Lowe, a tutor on digital cameras and cyber-filing of taxes. Some seniors who can't master the typing challenge are learning voice-actuated word programs, which are now 90 percent accurate, said Shiena Polehn, another ex-president. Others warm up to typing when they are taught, with two mouse clicks, how to make fonts big enough for easy reading, said Chicano. Often, tutoring consists of mastering cyber-jargon and teaching steps that computer-literate users no longer even think about, such as scrolling, "hit any key" and taking the diskette out before you turn on the machine, said Kemp. Some become paralyzed with fear and confusion, Mee said, when they get such screen messages as, "You have performed an illegal action." Tutors understand they have to speak louder and repeat information more times, but it all sinks in with hands-on repetition, said Polehn, a tutor on Internet investing. ACES is set up so that everyone can evolve from student to teacher over time, because "if you've been at it a month, you always learn things most other people don't know," said Lowe. "And e-mailing with your children is a lot cheaper than long-distance calling," said Polehn. "Sometimes, I end up knowing more about what my nieces and nephews are doing than their own mothers do." The club is a gold mine not just for skills, but for inside information on hot programs, hardware and Web sites. Members buy and sell computer stuff with free ads in the newsletter, as well as pick up tips, such as how to e-mail in color and block "cookies." Workshops offer a "free table" of cyber-goodies being offloaded by upgrading seniors. And tutors sometimes even go on cyber-shopping trips with new members. As old stereotypes and fears fade, seniors are coming to see the computer as a door, not a wall, ACES members say. "It used to be bridge that drew seniors together for mental activity and community, but now," said Lowe, "it's computers." John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Suggestions for Prime Time stories are welcome at [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.