There has been a growing trend in the last two decades or so away from the physical written word. While books are still a popular way to disseminate information (even with the increasing availability of e-books, especially e-textbooks), e-mail and other forms of digital communications such AIM and Blackberries have detracted from practices like letter writing. The post office has noticed this and has had to raise the price of postage several times in recent years to help defray the costs this lack of business has brought.
While this new technology is definitely useful and has become not only an early adopter phenomenon, but one accepted by the general population, there are still a large number of late or non adopters. Many of these people are either economically disadvantaged or of a generation that is not comfortable with adopting new technology (the latter category of non-adopters is who I would like to address). One of the unfortunate social trends as a result of this technological trend is that many of the elderly who are living longer, and often alone, are even more isolated from remaining friends and family who are more technologically advanced and reliant on that technology as a way to communicate.
For example, I think nothing of sending an e-card to wish a friend a Happy Birthday, but I rarely think to make the "effort" to go buy a card and stamp for one of my great aunts or uncles who doesn't have a computer.
Around Christmas time I was reading a LiveJournal community for gift ideas when I ran across an intriguing idea called "Subscription to My Life." The idea was simple- "give" one of your relatives a 52 week subscription to your life. I adapted this idea for my Grandmother who is 90 and lives by herself out of state. I rarely have time to call and talk, but I took an on-line subscription form and used Photoshop to doctor it and make it look like a subscription form for my life. I went out and bought several dozen postcards and stamps and every week I send her a quick written postcard just telling her what happened with my week.
My parents, who talk to her several times a week, say that she rarely talks about anything else since I've started sending her the postcards.
I was talking to one our classmates today and she was telling me about her great-grandmother who is in a similar situation. I told her about this idea and she loved the concept of it and said that this would be a great idea to share. Both from the perspective that it could really help you connect with someone you don't usually get to connect with, and from the idea that sometimes we should think about those who get left behind when technology springs ahead without them.
1 comment:
This seems like a good idea as I also have an 80 year-old grandmother who is resistant to technology. The only reason she decided to take a computer class is because she volunteers at a senior citizens home, and they require her to have basic computer skills - something she has verbally and physically resisted for the past 15 years!
Perhaps if I consider using these postcards she'll see the value of owning and using a computer aside from merely having one for work.
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