Existing Situation:
Seniors and Technology in Seattle

This chapter:

• Provides an overview of what seniors in Seattle and around the country are saying in surveys and forums about computers and technology;
• Summarizes some of the relevant demographics about seniors in Seattle; and
• Describes existing computer equipment, programs and services in the city that are available to seniors.

Local Survey of Individuals

A May 1997 survey conducted in Seattle provides a recent view of the current situation and opinions among seniors in Seattle. Portions of the results of that survey are summarized below.

Access, Use and Potential Use of Computers Among Seniors in Seattle
Comparison of People Age 55+ in Seattle and Total Population

National Survey of Individuals

A November 1995 survey of American senior adults sheds further light on the situation. However, given the pace of change in this arena, it is likely that some of them are already somewhat dated. A few of the findings from this survey are noted below:

Ownership

• Overall computer ownership in the 55-75 age group is 30%.
• 138 of female seniors report owning a personal computer.
• 228 of male seniors report owning a personal computer.

Use

• Computer usage in the 55-75 age group was up 126 between July 1994 and November 1995.
• Married seniors use computers more than single seniors (34% to 162).
• Working seniors use computers more than non workers (34% to 162).
• Senior men are more likely than women to go online (37% to 84).
• 72% of online seniors exchange e-mail.
• 65% of senior online users have accessed the Internet in the past 30 days.
• 36% of online seniors spend 3-10 hours online per week.
• 74% of senior online users classify their computers as extremely helpful.

At this time, the available data indicates that computer ownership between seniors in Seattle and those around the country is at similar levels. The Seattle 1997 survey showed that 34% of people age 55 and older use computers at home. If we assume that most of them own those computers, this rate is quite similar to the ownership rate of 30% reported in the 1995 national survey.

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Local Forum

On March 5, 19 people gathered for a half-day at the Seattle Center to offer their advice and opinions about seniors' use of computers and preferences for how the Senior Project funds are used.

The group was comprised of seniors with a variety of backgrounds, views, and levels of knowledge about information technology and of people working with seniors to use and apply computer technology. A roster of participants is included as Appendix A.

That group first identified the ways in which seniors use computers that they believed were most beneficial and then generated a list of the factors that encourage or attract seniors to use computers. They selected the following items as the most important in each category:

Most beneficial uses of computers by seniors:

Factors most likely to encourage or attract seniors to use computers

The group also developed recommendations for the types of equipment, programs, or services to be funded through Seattle's Senior Technology Literacy and Access Project. The results of that portion of the discussion are contained in a later chapter.

National Forum

The Aspen Institute's Communications and Society Program held a national forum of 28 people in 1992. Participants included experts and leaders in the areas of elder population, networking technologies, social issues, and in the subject areas of elders' education, retirement, health, finances, and citizenship. That group generated a list of insights about seniors and their interest in technology that is likely still accurate:

• Seniors don't want another information service. They want "life satisfaction," and they will accept and use tools that help them achieve their personal goals. The goals often involve spiritual, holistic sensibilities and values.
  
• Education/training is not just for entertainment. Social gratification plays a major role in the education process.
  
• Economic cutbacks—especially reduction of government services—have created hardships for seniors who depend on publicly available information or services. Seniors have more trouble than others (e.g. the active workforce) in accessing channels that provide routine business, financial, health or community information and services (such as corporate benefit offices or the carpool grapevine).
  
• Nonetheless, even among seniors who are technologically knowledgeable or willing to learn technology, there are some limitations. For example, physical restrictions such as mobility problems can make communication by computers an asset, while others, such as difficulty in reading computer screens, may affect the ways in which seniors can use a computer service.
  
• Seniors are attracted to organized programs including classes on retirement planning, literacy promotion, health, volunteer service training, arts and humanities and business training. Groups offering training/services should take advantage of the "teachable moment" when a person wants to learn.

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Volunteer members of the Citizens Technology and Telecommunications Advisory Board conducted telephone and in-person interviews during February 1998 to gather information and input from organizations around the city about how and to what extent older people in Seattle are participating in computer programs and services. A total of 10 interviews were conducted with representatives of senior services, community and ethnic agencies, computer labs and training centers. A list of those interviewed is included in Appendix B.

Those interviewed offered the following responses to specific questions about the people age 55 and older that they serve (other portions of the survey results are presented in the next chapter; the full summary of the interviews is provided in Appendix C):

Most Important/Beneficial Ways To Use Computers

(The number of organizations providing a similar answer is noted in parentheses following the responses.)

• Good confidence builder; helps them feel modern; getting comfortable with technology generally, which they need to use in many contexts but may avoid; personal satisfaction (4)
• Knowledge; expand services and information to seniors through the Internet, such as transportation and health information (4)
• Preserve cultural heritage; create family histories with scanned photos and personal history; record local history; preserve information which might be lost (3)
• Corresponding with relatives and friends; one person at the YMCA sends baby pictures weekly to infirm parents in Hawaii who will never be able to travel (3)
• General knowledge/use; connect to the world and stay alert and informed (3)
• Organizing business, budgets, financial services (2)
• Entertainment; social opportunity (2)
• Improve motor skills
• Word processing
• Intergenerational meeting with local youth

Factors that Most Enable or Attract Seniors To Use Computers

• Sense of keeping up to date; wanting to know more; curiosity; intellectually stimulating
• Entertainment; novelty
• Communal aspects, feeling connected to other people; interaction with younger people; get them out of the house; social action
• Family contacts; family members encourage them
• Easy way to do work; computers might be a tool to resolve writing needs relative to arthritis or other difficulties; word processing; manage investment portfolio
• Small classes in their neighborhood, taught by older people and sensitive to seniors
• Free or low cost
• Flexible class setup and curriculum

Largest Challenges/Barriers to Senior Use of Computers

• Training/trainers; need one on one – don't want to be in big class
• Seniors can't drive to center at night when volunteers are available
• Icons and keyboards are small; size of monitor
• Fear of something new; fearful of technology until they take a class
• High cost/confusion; feeling intimidated by salespeople when shopping for computers; sometimes seniors have bought computers and then been stumped with set-up and usage
• Learning the basics of keyboarding; typing skills, it is like trying to learn a new language; fear of failure; fear of breaking the machine

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An understanding of the number of seniors in Seattle, some of their characteristics and differences, and their distribution around the city is an important element in determining how and where portions of Seattle's Citizens Literacy and Access Fund should be used.

While there is a great deal of demographic data available, and one can easily drown in statistics, it is difficult to both identify and find the most relevant information. Information from the 1990 US Census is increasingly out-of-date, yet there is nothing more reliable to replace it. Boundaries for analysis of neighborhood or district information within the City of Seattle differed between 1980 and 1990. Within the time and resource constraints of this assessment, the tables below represent what appear to be the most pertinent pieces of easily available data. Data specific to Seattle was used when available; in a few cases the best information available was on the King County level. All table headings reflect the geographic scope.

Most of the tables are self-explanatory. They present useful (though not perfect) information. Their analytical value is explored in a later chapter.

Persons age 55 and over in Seattle comprise about 22.5% of Seattle's 1990 population of about 519,000. Persons over age 65 comprise about 15% of the total.

About 66 of seniors age 65 to 74 years have some type of mobility or self-care limitation. About 24% of seniors 75 years or older have a mobility or self-care limitation or both.

About 2.5% of the King County population age 60 or older do not speak English well or at all.

• A growth rate of 5% was expected in King County in the number of people age 60 and older between 1995 and 2000.
• A person who has attained age 65 can expect to live an average of 18.4 more years to age 83.4.
• Several chronic problems associated with aging are major causes of disability:
• 294 of older people suffer from arthritis.
• 26% of the age 65 to 75 age group, and 42% of the 75 or older group are estimated to have hearing difficulties.
• 7% of the 65 to 74 age group and 66 of the 75 and older group are estimated to have significant visual impairment.

See Appendix D for Map of Sub-Areas for Analysis of 1990 US Census Data

See Appendix G for Distribution of People Age 65+ in Seattle Sub-Areas

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Current Seattle Senior Technology Resources

The City of Seattle Executive Services Department compiled a database and map of sites in the City where community members have access to computers and other technology. New access sites are developing rapidly and will be added to the city database as they are identified.

Senior technology services in Seattle identified include:

• Computer training and access sites
• Online information and referral
• Telephone companion
• Online intergenerational programs

Descriptions of a few of these programs are contained in Appendix H (which describes examples of local, regional and national initiatives.) Computer labs are the most prevalent technology resource for seniors. These are described below in the summary of Senior Access and Training Sites. These sites provide either computer terminal access only (i.e. Neighborhood Service Center sites) or access and training.

Online Information and Referral

The Mayor's Office for Senior Citizens provides basic senior information via its website on the city Public Access Network. Ralph Pfister provides an additional range of senior information and links via his independent organization, King County Seniors Online. There were no Seattle/King County specific web-based forums or chats identified.

Telephone Companion

The Linkage Program links seniors together by telephone to provide a safety check-in and ongoing companionship. Lloyd Shelley, a forum participant, coordinates this program.

Online Intergenerational Programs

The Computer Pals program of Intergenerational Innovations was the most extensive effort to use online communications to link seniors with youth. (For more detail, see Appendix H.) Other individual initiatives have also occurred, including e-mail connections, although this study did not permit in-depth surveying. One example is a set of web pages profiling Indian elders developed by youth at the Seattle Indian Center.

Summary of Senior Access and Training Sites

The sites available to seniors include the libraries, senior centers, community centers and community based training centers. Some neighborhood service centers are also available for Internet access. Of the labs located at senior service facilities, 6 of these are senior centers and one is a senior residence.

(See Appendix I for list of access and training sites and Appendix J for a list of senior centers in King County.)

Of 70 known community computer sites located in the City of Seattle, 42 are available to seniors and 21 provide some senior specific programming (174 of the total). Seven computer labs are located at senior service facilities (8% of total).

The senior specific programming includes training or facilitated lab time dedicated to senior citizens. Below is a breakdown of services by neighborhood district.

In some cases, a lab may be nearby, but no seniors and computing program has been developed. The Chinese Information Service Center is one example of this scenario; they do not have trainers or a senior curriculum, but would like to develop a program. At least 4 senior centers are holding or planning to hold classes at nearby computer labs. For instance, the Central Area Senior Center is holding classes at the Rotary Boys and Girls Club. Jefferson Park brings seniors to the Delridge Community Center.

Staff and volunteers at four programs using other facilities noted that computers on-site at senior facilities were valuable because they provide exposure and a safe environment for newcomers whom are receiving other senior services.

Training

The vast majority of courses available to seniors would generally be considered to be basic skills. These include an introduction to computers, word processing (MS Word or Wordperfect), spreadsheets (Excel) or finance (Quicken), database (Access) and Internet browsing/searching. Senior specific courses include Internet for Seniors and Genealogy. Many of the libraries are offering a specific computerized card catalog searching course. Web authoring and document publishing trainings are available for seniors at very few sites.

Trainers are either volunteer or paid. Seniors are providing training at a number of centers.

Equipment

Based on the database and site visits, the range and quality of equipment appears to vary greatly. Center facilities are generally equipped with between four and ten computers in various states of working order. Most of the centers have relied on donated used equipment and very few of the senior centers are providing "up-to-date" Pentiums. For instance, Southeast Senior Center is operating with 386's and Windows 3.1, as are a few other centers. Talmadge Hamilton House has one PC operating Windows '95. West Seattle Senior Center is operating with a loaned computer from the Health Care Finance Administration. At least four of the senior specific sites are not networked.

Internet Connectivity

Internet connectivity is a significant problem in many of the centers and one that is in flux. At least three of the senior specific sites have only a single modem or are trying to have one installed. All of them are considering wireless modems but do not currently have money budgeted for an ISDN line nor do they have the technical staff to design and install a network. The senior centers with higher band width are generally those co-located with another facility such as a community center, a larger agency or a school.