Treasure Valley seniors have been meeting up twice a month in Boise to talk about technology through a program that's bringing area high-schoolers and retirees together.
Linda Robinson has lived at The Terraces of Boise continuing care retirement community for the last year and a half.
To some people's surprise, the CCRC is very technology friendly. They have an iPad kiosk in the lobby where residents can purchase tickets to area events or they can pull up the schedule to find out what's on the campus agenda for the day.
Robinson didn't pass up the Tech Time Program.
"People in our age category didn't grow up with this. And, all of a sudden, we need it and we don't know what we're doing," she said.
The Terraces teamed up with Timberline High School's Wolf Connection community leadership group. It allows for seniors to get all of their tech-related questions answered while interacting with a different generation than their own.
"They're used to having something always going wrong, a computer crashing or something like that," said Brooke Foster, a senior at Timberline High School. "But, it's nice for them to know that they can press the home button and it's okay."
"The smartphones are the wave of the future," said Debbi Evans, The Terraces' lifestyles director. "So, if they don't know how to use that or if they can't learn the touch of it, they're not going to be able to keep up with their friends or their family or their grand kids."
The last few visits, Foster has been helping Robinson take digital photos and e-mail family members. Next, she'll help Robinson learn how to better use her smartphone.
"The students are so patient and so nice," Robinson said. "They're wonderful."
"Through this program, I know I can look back and see that I helped someone, see that I helped a group of people get closer to their family," Foster said. "I guess it's just that sense of pride you get after doing something good for someone else."
To celebrate the end of this year's senior outreach program for the school, the students are hosting a Senior Prom on Monday, March 6. The event is open to the community, and it's for any older folks who maybe never got the chance to go to their school's dance.
For more information, send an e-mail to kelly.gonser@boiseschools.org or dial (208) 854-6230.
