Adding new life to elders’ lives

Conclusion Our experience has shown that participating in computer classes brings tangible improvements to the quality of life of older learners. While some of these benefits may derive from social interaction, many more are specific to the nature of the course. Learning to use the versatile computer does not require any particular talent, yet it allows the exercise of a wide range of skills. The achievements of our participants include a novel, poetry, short stories, family histories, and a cook book. Others have catalogued collections and undertaken voluntary administrative duties, plus much more. While there is still much to learn, we may conclude that older individuals are well able to learn to use computers, that they enjoy the experience and that the consequences may prove beneficial to a greater extent than we can yet imagine.