Seniors Site » Tech-Savvy Seniors

Talking Book Program For Seniors

santos — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:21:23 +0000

A common problem that affects most aging people is macular degeneration and limits their sight. Most of senior people have been diagnosed with it and are being treated or have been treated. The problem limits your eye sight and thus affects your lifestyle negatively. The reduced eyesight limits the number of activities that you can engage in where one of the most distressing things is that it makes it hard for you to enjoy read. Of course the age of most senior people limits them from doing a lot of other activities and thus most enjoy reading as their favorite pass time. Others reading may not be their favorite activity but every now and then they have to do some essential reading such reading a watch, religious books or news among others. Thus low vision problem is a concern to many and those who like reading have actually been looking for book service which could cater for them.

Well, if you are such a person with vision problem or you feel that age is catching up with you and son will affect your eye sight, you do not have to worry about your reading. If reading is one of your favorite activities you will not have to give it up when you start having vision problems since there is a solution. Some people have been concerned about you and other aging and young people with vision problems and are providing a free talking book service program. The program is for anybody with low vision or blindness or any other physical disability which makes it a problem to read a standard printed page. There are also many other forms of vision aids available for vision impaired persons such as magnifying aids for people with low vision. There are also talking book clubs that you can join to continue enjoying reading as your favorite activity.

To aid your reading and make it enjoyable, the talking book service mails you books and magazines on cassette and in Braille as well as an audio playback equipment. This service is provided to you via a national network of libraries and the books are mailed to you for free. This service is available to all United States citizens both those who reside in the country as well as those living abroad. Improve your senior living by enhancing your low vision while reading by joining talking book club. This program is for you so that you continue enjoying reading books and magazines despite the sight challenges which will come with age.

Having Trouble Reading? Try Audiobooks!

santos — Sun, 06 May 2012 14:53:41 +0000

You all know how I love reading but lately, I’ve been busy with work and whatnot that I find it hard to set aside some time for my reading. In between allergy attacks – which I have yet to find out the trigger – and, which by the way, attacks morning and nights, my favorite reading times, of course, and running to and fro my everyday tasks, I’m deeply saddened to see my ever accumulating backlog of books to read, both paperback and ebooks. Plus, add to that the fact that by the end of the day, my eyes were too tired to read that they prefer to be closed than to see anything anymore.

Then I discovered audiobooks. If you are using an iPad, you just have to head on to their iTunes store and browse through their wonderful selection (and they do have free, good ones, I tell you), buy or download your pick, then look for it on your audiobook playlist. This shouldn’t be too hard as it is pretty much straightforward. LibriVox has good titles, for one, and they are absolutely free. Just type “librivox” on the search bar then browse to your heart’s content.

For non-iPad users, don’t fret, audiobooks come in different formats, a regular MP3 player can do the job for you. Even your mobile phone can play these things for you if it supports the format.

I find audiobooks to be really helpful in catching up with the books I would like to read, or reread. I’m not the type of person who could read when traveling, it just gives me a massive headache so I don’t dare try however, sometimes, this is the only times of the day where in I have nothing else to do but sit and wait, and honestly, I feel that I am wasting too much time doing so. A senior with an audiobook installed to her device can just plug an earphone into their ears and listen away. You can even close your eyes and rest them for a while, listening to your favorite stories and novels. This is perfect for seniors too, those who would like to be read to, to help them fall asleep.

Audiobooks have now become a “staple” on my playlist, I even substituted it to my workout playlist which has gotten somewhat stale now and needing a complete makeover – for which I’m still waiting for my granddaughter to do for me. I also found some instructional audiobooks for yoga, etc. Definitely something a senior must try to give their brains the shake and exercise it needed without too much effort on our part!

Email Safety for Seniors

santos — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 00:14:31 +0000

If you Google the words “email safety”, notice that there are two age groups often warned about it: kids and seniors. It is because the risk of these groups getting abused over emails is quite rampant. Kids are usually curious beings and almost always curiosity clouds better judgment while seniors are usually trusting and, well, curious beings too so the fate they share is pretty much the same as always.
Anyway, I would to share my rule of thumb when using the internet, particularly emails. Number one is, never be too trusting, not even if it’s your friends sending you messages. Why? It is because you can never know for sure if it is really them or if malicious intent is there. You just have to be careful ALL THE TIME. No excuses.
· Never ever share your online information, personal and otherwise. Not even to your husband. Or your kids. My partner and I, we love to share bank info etc with each other. This is because we often forget our own info while we found out that we are each other’s excellent info keeper however, I don’t think that is wise when it comes to online information as it can be passed without you and your partner knowing. Anyway, you can always hit that “forgot my password” link to sort effects of baby memory.
· Online information is always passable, no matter how careful you are. Emails get forwarded, so does your signatures and whatnot. Your nasty email about your neighbor can even find its way to your – horrors – neighbor’s inbox, say 2 months from now so as much as possible, provided only little information about yourself.
· Never open an email from someone you don’t know or wasn’t expecting. Email spammers are talented beings, they know what to write and how best to lure you into opening their emails. Some of the things they wrote there sound true enough to call action so as a good precautionary measure, just don’t open them.
· ..and don’t open attachments as well, or click links on emails. Okay, you accidentally opened a spam mail and there’s this very enticing attachment that comes with it and there’s also this link which is supposed to “redirect” you to a website that will fulfill your wishes. To open or not to open? Of course the answer is DON’T. It is because these are the first steps to getting yourself in trouble. Downloading a malicious attachment or even opening up an affected website are sure fire ways to infect your computer with virus.
· Make it a habit to report. Anything you encounter that got you suspicious should be reported at once. Don’t be shy about it since big, legitimate companies will definitely appreciate it and most of all, you are going to help other people by doing so.

Make Your Facebook Account Private!

santos — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:21:08 +0000

I have been to several social networking sites and I tell you, it ain’t easy to be private in these sites! No matter how you try to keep some things private, they will still end up showing somewhere else. Worse, you don’t even have an idea who saw what and when, you don’t even know who browsed your account info!
Now that Facebook is as popular as ever – even the old lady at the baggage counter has one! – it is critical that I share some of the things you should do on your Facebook account in order to protect your privacy somehow. Every little thing you do counts when it comes to your safety and protection.
· List your friends according to groups. Ever heard of friend list? Don’t worry if not as not everyone is aware of this improvement. You can now list your friends according to group. Basically you have “family”, “friends”, and “professional” and each has their own privacy settings. This way you can set your account to share something in a group and not share to other groups you have. For example, you can post an office rant and not share it with your “professional” group – although I don’t really recommend doing that. Same way as you can “hide” info from a certain group and “show” other groups.
· Remove yourself from searches. This way you’ll prevent stalkers from finding you on Facebook. For your information, Facebook is a highly indexed site which means if your name is typed up on Google, there is a good chance your Facebook account will show on searches. Definitely you’ll come up when someone searches you over on Facebook search box too. By adjusting your settings, you can now remove yourself totally from both searches.
· Prevent tagged photos and videos from showing on your wall. This can get nasty and is quite embarrassing too. I’ve seen people lose their jobs and end relationships just because of a tagged photo or video. Facebook tagging is something you can’t control from the other end but you can definitely avoid its automatic publication on your wall by adjusting your settings.
· Make your albums private. While some of your photos may be safe enough to show the world, you just don’t know where it may end up. To be on the safer side of things, just make your albums visible to your friends and families only.
· Make your most personal information private, like the way it should be. Like your relationship status – I just don’t know why it has to be a really big deal when trying to set a relationship status in Facebook, complete with an icon at that. For me it’s like shouting to the world that “Hey, I’m single, hit me up!” or “Hey, I’m engaged! Jealous?” fortunately, you can now hide stories like this.
· Control posts. Avoid embarrassing and unexpected wall posts from your friends who just won’t grow up! Again, you can set this up to determine who can post on your wall and who cannot. Obviously, only allow people who have common sense to think before posting.
All these can be done on your privacy settings located at upper right hand corner along with “home” and “profile”. It is under “account”.

Monetizing Your Blogs

santos — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:51:00 +0000

Today I am going to share my experiences about blogging and how seniors can make a little money out of it. Because of my virtual assisting stint, I’m able to work with fabulous people who do this on a regular basis – I mean, do these things for a living which in my eyes made them a pro. However, I found out that there is indeed more to it than just blogging and adding ads. You can actually make money out of it in so many ways that it is impossible to count them off your fingers! Let me share to you these examples:
CLIENT 1: CONTENT IS KING. This client made me write articles and blog posts 6 times a week, despite bad grammar just as long as it is understandable and keyword enriched. The idea is to populate the blog with content that is related to his niche. For my fellow seniors who aren’t too techie yet, “niche” is your blog’s overall topic. This is what keeps you in line and not blindingly shooting whatever happens to be in front of you.
TIP 1: Find a niche that is neither too broad nor too slim/narrow. Make sure you go for something you can write for a long time without having to repeat yourself after 2-3 months.
CLIENT 2: SOCIAL NETWORKING IS THE KEY. This client happens to be a social media coach so she’s very particular with her “tone” when talking to her community. She doesn’t want me anywhere near her blogs so she propped me on her social media sites, adding friends and posting news and quotes which won’t require me to do a couple of words inserted on every post. Of course, my posts should all be related to her niche and they should, every now and then, promote her websites and blogs.
TIP 2: Engage with your community. Expect people to ask questions and they expect you to answer in return. This is good since you are getting feedbacks which will help you grow as a better blogger.
CLIENT 3: THE AFFILIATE MARKETER. This is where the money-making part starts. After polishing your blog nice and shiny, you can now apply for affiliate programs. When approved, you’ll be able to post ads on your website/blog such that when someone clicks on it and buys something, you’ll be rewarded with a commission. Commissions can go as low as 4% to as high as 7% depending on your program. Some of the most popular ones are: Google Adsense, Amazon and Clickbank.
TIP 3: You might want to wait, say 6 months, before applying into anything as affiliate programs are quite strict in approving applications.
CLIENT 4: PHYSICAL PRODUCTS. Indeed you can use your blogs to promote whatever product you are now selling – physical products, I mean. While marketing campaigns are not as concentrated on blogs as you would when affiliated, your blogs can serve as an additional marketing tool and establishing online presence. You can even install third party applications on your blog for your customers to be able to buy your product online.
TIP 4: Going online with your product is a good decision since localised products on web are really a hit these days.

If you plan to do all these things, be prepared to spend a lot of time in front of the computer however, if you do have the time to do so, I assure you it’s rewarding and worthwhile. Retired seniors who are getting a little bored and anxious at home can start incorporating these things, have fun and make money all at the same time!

Computer Lessons for Seniors

santos — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:10:50 +0000

This blog post is for those seniors who don’t have any idea at all on how to use the computer and would love to learn or if you happen to be a daughter or a son or perhaps a grandkid and would like to get your grannies and grampas learn how to use the computer. If you are living in Seattle, you might want to check out their program sponsored by Department of Information Technology.

Basically, communities and senior centers in Seattle are working hand-in-hand to provide computer training to seniors for free, some may charge a little but certainly not a big deal of money. These people aim to give every senior the opportunity to learn how to use the computer and teach them how to make the internet beneficial for seniors. Here is a list of center locations where seniors are most welcome to train: Seattle Guide to Computer Centers for Seniors.

If you have been reading this blog for quite some time now, you would know that nowadays the internet plays a bigger role in a senior’s life than we ever imagined. Indeed, knowing how to use the computer can benefit a senior. Imagine a senior with limited range of motion or perhaps a senior having a hard time commuting or driving to and fro the department store to buy their essentials? By knowing how to manipulate the computer, a senior now has to just sit down, Google something they need and pick a website to choose goods from, pay online and wait for their goods to be delivered. No need to go out, brave the commuting world, brave the weather, carry the goods home.. – it’s just too risky for them and not even worth their effort!

These training sites also teach seniors how to use electronic mails or emails. This proves to be necessary for seniors since this is the easiest way to communicate with their loved-ones and the cheapest too. Social networking sites may be a little complicated for seniors since there is a lot to learn and most continually change interface that even a pro is having a hard time keeping up, emails are easier to understand and most are straightforward, take for example Gmail and Yahoo! Mail.

Included in these programs is training seniors to learn how to use and navigate the world wide web. Of course, this involves exploring and learning new things. Information alone is enough reason to use the internet plus it connects seniors to other people which is beneficial for their social life.

Lastly, learning few tricks like managing your finances using the web or perhaps paying bills online is also important for seniors who just don’t have time and energy to deal with it physically.

Blogging for Seniors

santos — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 03:42:04 +0000

Did you ever, at one point in your life, feel that you have so much to talk about but there was no one to talk it with anymore? Or perhaps felt that somehow, you belong to a different world and you have strong feelings about it however nobody’s listening to your rants? Or maybe, you feel revived just by writing down the things that make you happy, that is, your hobbies and interests? Well, if you are all of the above, then perhaps this is the time to think of blogging.

For your information, there are many seniors out there doing blogs. They may have different reasons for doing so but one thing is certain, blogging is fun and it is certainly doable, you just have to take the first step. Fellow senior bloggers share that blogging somehow makes them feel connected to the world and for some lucky ones, it comes naturally. I say, it must be all that talking to their dogs has become so boring that virtual life got so exciting for them! Just kidding, y’all 

Another perk of blogging is that you can actually earn some money from it. Blog about your business and you are bound to stumble upon an interested customer. Or perhaps pass information of the things you are most updated with and your blog is suddenly eligible for affiliate marketing. Or indeed, make your blog a walking advertisement of something and earn a little from referrals. A friend of mine even won a two-night stay at an awesome resort just because her blog is full of photos from her vacations!

So how do you get started? I am not going to tell you it’s easy because nothing in this world can ever be easy for an aging body like ours. Take out your rust remover and start polishing up your computing skills for starters. Below are some things to remember when putting up a basic blog. Of course, how far you are willing to push it is entirely up to you:

•    Nothing is free so stick to the budget. There are ways to set up a blog without shedding a penny but if you have high hopes for it, be willing enough to shell out some dough to feed it. You will pay for hosting, domain name, blog design, plugins and, in some cases, even traffic to your site.
•    It involves work so be prepared. Blogging is a whole lot of work and you have to be very patient for it to work. The first few weeks of setting up your blog is pure hell, after some time, when you get the groove, you can get a little slower and enjoy the ride.
•    Invest time. Like a child, it needs time and nurturing so you must be willing to give both.
•    Learn to explore and be willing enough to learn new things. Every single day, new ways to improve your blog are being developed. You, as the blogger, must be up-to-date with these things. You just never stop learning and developing.
•    Never lose courage. If you go-peek at some of the most successful blogs, you are most likely to see commenters lining up their comment box, shouting congratulatory words, yours on the other hand is as silent as the house on haunted hill. It’s okay. You’ll get there. Eventually.

Where To Sell Your Stuff Online

santos — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:00:39 +0000

You would be amazed how seniors are now getting into online selling. Just consider the number of successful online stores out there that are operated and managed by seniors, particularly those who have just retired and enjoying the perks of retirement.

It is a no-brainer actually, online selling indeed fits seniors to a tee. Why not? Online selling allow seniors to be able to control their working hours, work from home, and most especially earn some while doing so.

However, some senior online sellers think that the only way to sell online is through a fully functional ecommerce website. This thought alone may discourage a senior from getting into the bandwagon considering the technical skills needed to run an ecommerce website not to mention the amount of money it needs in order to be up and running. Senior sellers need not be afraid as there are many ways other than an ecommerce website to sell your stuff – some don’t even cost a dime to start!

* Auction sites. Surely you have heard of one, perhaps even participated in one. If not, then think “Ebay” and you’re on the right track. There are still many out there and most of them don’t require registration fee to join. If you are just testing the waters then opt to go for a simple text ad which usually won’t cost you anything other than basic fees, if applies.
* Online marketplaces. If Ebay is synonymous to online auction site, then Amazon gets this one. Again, there are many out there however, Amazon is the most recommended especially for newbies since they have millions of members – who are potentially buyers – and they provide awesome support to new sellers.
* Targeted marketplaces. I firmly believe that the pioneer for targeted marketplaces is Etsy. For those of you who are not familiar with the website, Etsy is a place for artists to buy and sell their products. Etsy supports handmade products like jewelries, clothing and keepsakes.
* Online classified ads. To date, the most popular is Craiglist. Walmart has their own classified ads too and I believe they offer this service for free. Online classified ads are like traditional newspaper-classified ads only they can be found online and much easier to scan.
* Social Networking Sites. Most social networking sites do not encourage businesses from using their sites to sell their stuff but let’s face it, it is the easiest way to get attention and they have the best and widest audiences. You just have to find a way to get attention while following the site’s rules and regulations regarding selling stuff.

5 New Ways to Land A Job

santos — Tue, 17 May 2011 01:45:50 +0000

Finding a job can be hard for seniors – especially seniors – since most of them have outdated resumes, have been out-of-practice for job interviews or are just plain too old to be looking for a job and starting a new career. With the advent of technology, the ground where you find work widened and your reach became longer. Imagine someone from far-flung areas like India or the Philippines can now work closely with someone from Australia or Canada. That’s how it is now and you don’t have to be super techie about it too, just a little know-how would do. Below are some tips for seniors who are looking for a job but couldn’t find them in traditional places:
•    Try employment resource websites. There are tons out there that are both free and legitimate. Take note of the word “legitimate” as there are scam sites too that will try to fool you into paying them some money in the pretense of finding you a job. Try Odesk and Elance as they are the safest nowadays until you are confident to do it on your own.
•    Start with companies that have diversity program in place. Most companies are now encouraging diversity amongst their workforce as it is now mandated by the law. Diversity programs seek minority groups, women, and seniors to join the workforce without discrimination. This must be seniors’ easiest way to landing a job.
•    Get socialized! Social networking sites are fast becoming a portal of employment for those who haven’t had much time to scour the streets for jobs. I once had a client whom I met over at Twitter, he was impressed with what I do and he gave me a short stint which eventually turned out to be a two-year ongoing job.
•    Update your online resume. On your free time, you might want to look at LinkedIn since it is the most popular professional networking site these days. Best of all, you can “export” your details for an instant resume. Now, you don’t have to remember every little detail of your professional life all at once, you can add them as you remember them.
•    Put your networking skills into work. In harsher words, use your family and friends for referrals or even leads to jobs that fit your skills. Don’t feel guilty about doing these things too as you could always compensate the other person after landing the job

10 Reasons Why I Love Ebooks

santos — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:18:15 +0000

I am now, finally—after a year of withdrawal—and fully, switching to ebooks and ditching my paperback collecting habit for good. I can now confidently say that I am so over with paperback and I am not buying one even if my life depends on it. Weird that it took me a year to get over it but I am happy I finally did and became adapted with ebooks with such ease.

I highly recommend book-loving seniors to try ebooks. If you are thinking of doing same, I tell you now, you won’t be disappointed. Here are my 10 good reasons why I love ebooks so much, I could have passed as an ebook reader salesperson in no time!

1. It is very eco-friendly. Truth be told, this is exactly why I made a decision to switch to ebook even if I was not quite sure I could adjust to it after getting used to paperbacks for years. I am pro-environment awareness, if you must notice. I may not be the most successful advocate but I make it a point to lessen my footprint whenever possible. The simple logic is, if seniors will switch to ebooks, enewspapers or even emagazines, there will be lesser need to cut trees and more chances for them to grow.
2. Ebooks won’t take too much space. Actually it won’t take any space in your house at all if you have a little know-how storing your files online. For nontechie ones, you can either download your ebooks straight to your ereaders or save it on your computer to be uploaded on a later date. No clutter at all.
3. They are portable, you can take them anywhere without breaking your back in doing so. Think 300 titles you carry with you wherever you would like to go. With ebooks, you don’t have to worry carrying a thousand pages worth of novel to the beach without looking like an old school librarian on a break.
4. Be resourceful and find free classic titles online—legally. There are many sites offering free ebooks legally online, and they are really good too, not just your unknown and budding authors. I am talking about the likes of “The Art of War” and “Anne of Green Gables”.
5. You can “bookmark” an ebook and not do any damage at all. Say goodbye to dog-eared copies. You can make annotations, highlights, and look-ups without harming the ebook itself!
6. Ebooks are forever. It’s kind of hard to do irreversible damage to an ebook, as opposed to a book which you need to handle with care.
7. Throw away those glasses if you are not comfortable with it! Ebooks can be adjusted to sizes that suit your eyes best. Bet your best book can’t do that!
8. You can share them around - just make sure you only share those copies which are not legally bound by copyright or else it is considered as illegal.
9. Ebooks are normally cheaper. I don’t know about some Amazon titles but ebooks are normally cheaper than paperbacks. Some authors are now selling their work directly from their websites at discounted rates.
10. Longer excerpts of published novels are free in ebook form. You can now read as much as the publisher is willing to show and decide if the copy is worth buying.