“It’s all about keeping all levels of our community connected.”
Nayeli Garcia, account executive with the Richmond News, collaborated with Wisteria Place, an independent living facility in Richmond, to hold a 30-minute presentation and workshop to teach seniors how to access local news.
The Richmond News wants to make sure seniors are still able to get their news digitally, and, most importantly, stay connected with the community, especially since the last print edition rolled off the presses on Nov. 30.
“The goal for this presentation was being able to teach (seniors) how they can now find local news on our website and access features like event calendars and subscribing to the newsletter,” said Garcia.
The workshop involved Garcia and Richmond News publisher Alvin Chow showing seniors as a group, and then one-on-one, how to navigate the publication’s website.
Among the three women who attended, one was deemed “tech savvy” while the other two needed more time to search for the website and know where to click to read articles.
But they didn’t shy away from taking the opportunity to learn something new.
“They were embracing the opportunity to learn how to go on their tablet and iPhone in order to access the news. It shows how much they value local news,” said Garcia.
For some seniors, she added, checking the weather, being able to contact reporters and reading articles with a few easy clicks were “very attractive to them.”
“They were not negligent in learning this new technology and were actually very open,” she said.
“After the workshop they were like ‘now we know how to do it and access information from the local news.’”
When asked what the biggest challenge for seniors might be when it comes to accessing local news online, Garcia said it's accessing technology.
“Not all seniors residences have a computer or a tablet to borrow for the seniors,” she said.
Community centres or libraries are often places seniors would need to visit in order to get their hands on technology.
However, teaching a new skill to others “costs nothing,” according to Garcia.
“If you don’t teach people, they will never know how to do it, so I think it is very beneficial for the seniors community to have people guide them on ways to keep them connected.
“We want people to know that we are out there helping the community stay up to date.”
Got an opinion on this story or any others in Richmond? Send us a letter or email your thoughts or story tips to [email protected].
