Pandemic restrictions are tough for the social butterflies and extroverts. They crave interaction with their friends, peers, and even strangers.
But even the most ardent introvert has to be feeling the tug of wanting some form of in-person human interaction. Until that’s an everyday reality sans restriction, there’s always Zoom.
Except, what if you don’t know how to use Zoom? What if you’re not the greatest with technology?
This is a problem affecting the senior citizens of Belmont County and beyond. Lack of tech skills is not a problem unique to the elderly population, however. There are plenty of folks younger than 60 that need a helping hand with all things tech.
But not everyone has a family member close by who can offer assistance. And even if they have said family member, given how COVID-19 has the potential to hit the elderly community the hardest, many seniors are socially distancing themselves from family too.
Teaching someone how to use an entirely new-to-them piece of technology or software over the phone can be an arduous task. That’s not a knock on seniors either. Just look at the struggles students are experiencing with remote learning. Facts are facts. It’s far easier to learn in-person for the majority of the populace.
Fortunately for Belmont County seniors, there is an option to learn how to use Zoom remotely, if they so choose. And their instructor is quite adept at teaching learners who aren’t in the same room how to use the software.
Help is a Phone Call Away
As discussed in an earlier LedeNews.com story this week, Belmont College’s community education department began offering Zoom virtual learning classes back in November.
A driving force behind the switch actually had to do with assisting the senior citizens of the county to make the transition.
“What really got us started is we began partnering with Senior Services of Belmont County,” said Michelle Rataiczak, Workforce Development and Community Education director at Belmont College. “They put flyers in all of their meal deliveries so the seniors knew they could learn how to use Zoom in free sessions offered by Belmont College.”
Rataiczak admitted it was a way for the college to try and help seniors so they didn’t feel so isolated and alone during the pandemic restrictions. SSBC Director Dwayne Pielech stated previously even with more of the population receiving the COVID vaccine, it may be summer or even fall, at minimum, before restrictions ease, and the county’s residents can return to congregate and socialize at the county’s various senior centers.
This at least gives seniors the option of learning how to interact face-to-face with their friends and family members, even if there’s a digital screen in between said face.
Not an overwhelming majority has counted Belmont College yet, either through reluctance or lack of interest in learning the technology, or they simply already know how to use Zoom.
But for those that have, the response has been positive.
“The response was not overwhelming, but we were very happy with the response we did get to it,” Rataiczak said. “The classes are able to help the seniors learn the ins and outs of using Zoom.”
How to Sign Up
Rataiczak said any Belmont County senior citizen wishing to sign up for the class need only call her office at (740) 699-3868. Once a number of people are signed up, the attendees will be notified when the class is taking place.
The class itself is taught using Zoom, so some participants take a little longer to learn how to access the class.
Not everyone has an email address to receive the link to join the Zoom meeting. Those that don’t have one then have to go to Zoom.us, sign up, and enter the meeting information.
That sounds easy, but imagine having little to no tech background and then being told this is the only option for communicating with the outside world for a while. Scary stuff.
It would be akin to asking people with no mechanical wherewithal to change the alternator in their vehicles, prior to the advent of YouTube how-to videos. Sound like fun now?
Rataiczak said the instructor, Dave McCloud, does a wonderful job with class participants, and those that have joined have learned the basic of Zoom operation.
“Every couple of months, we schedule a couple hour-long sessions and allow the seniors to participate and see what it’s actually like in a group Zoom session,” Rataiczak said. “They can see each other’s faces, talk to the others, and truly see what it’s like and how to use it.”
The more that learn it can benefit SSBC as well. As stated previously, the seniors cannot gather at the county’s centers. But by utilizing a program like Zoom, senior services could put on Zoom bingo and other group-type events virtually.
