Want To Know What Your Cell Phone Can Do? Ask a Teenager

More than a dozen senior adults, cell phones in their hands, eagerly awaited their teachers to arrive.  The teachers Tuesday night at? Teenagers, as they are the experts in talking, texting and technology.

Teens recruited from local middle and high schools were paired up with a preregistered senior adult for a one-on-one, hands-on Cell Phone 101 class. Talking on the phone? That's so last century. The teens showed the seniors, among other things,  how to text, take a picture, and speed dial.

Hazel Cooper said she knows “how to phone in and out,” but she also realizes there are other things to learn.  South Lakes High School junior Brenna Castro showed her how to save phone numbers and retrieve messages.

Castro also warned Cooper about the high costs associated with texting or surfing the Internet.

Zurri Conroy, RCC’s Director of Senior Adult Programs director, knows firsthand how many seniors need cell phone assistance. 

“I cannot tell you how many times on senior trips I am asked  ‘how do I check my voice mail?' " she says. 

The Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project reports that 68 percent of the Silent Generation (Age 66-74) and 48 percent of the G.I. Generation (Age 75+) own cell phones.  Three-fourth of teenagers own one as well. 

Senior citizen Lore Althausen says she purchased a phone for safety reasons.

"I’m old, and I need a cell phone to stay safe, at least that’s what people tell me," she said.

She recounts the many times she just “pushes some buttons,” in hopes that she can retrieve a message.  The small keypad is hard to see, she says, but she doesn’t want to order anything new because she’s just getting used to the one she has.

Conroy notes the importance of the interaction between the senior adults and the teens. 

“We need to take advantage of any opportunity where they can learn from one another,"  she said.