When my mom asked me how to use her new iPhone, I took it from her, offered instructions as I tapped, and handed it back. A few weeks later, I asked why she hadn’t responded to my texts. She stared at me and said, “You went so darn fast last time. I didn’t learn a thing.” Ouch.
Someone needed to teach her how to use her phone.
So, I went in search of an organization I could trust that would take mom from a newbie to a confident user and commit to helping her every step of the way. I insisted on one that didn’t riddle their materials with ads that would disrupt her learning journey or a website that collected unnecessary data about her.
It didn’t take much searching for reality to hit—no such organization existed. Sure, there were many “pieces” out there, but there was no cohesive program for her to follow. Paying a private tutor was expensive and seemed wrong. Digital skills training should not cost an arm and a leg. Aren’t these skills essential today, especially for older adults? Why is this so difficult?
At that point, I’d been a technology entrepreneur for over 25 years. I knew how important it was that my mom became a confident user of her new iPhone. Digital skills are not nice to have. They are essential. Technology would help her remain independent and keep her connected to the world. My siblings and I wanted mom to stay connected to her grandchildren and to us. And, she wanted to be part of the changing world around her and was firm in her desire to age in the home she loved. If ever the subject of her moving came up, we would be reminded that the only way she was moving out of her lovely apartment was in a pine box. Message received.
She had been on top of trends her whole life. Now was the time to harness that curiosity. So, I created learning resources for her with clear instructions and screenshots. With lessons she would immediately connect to. She ended up filling a binder with these lessons, each page a separate digital skill. mom took notes on these pages and referred to them often. This gave her independence in learning and lowered my technical support burden (phew).
Seeing her highlights and sticky notes on those pages and watching her get excited about using her new phone clinched it. I needed to find a way to make digital skills training for all older adults inspiring, fun and free. Then the phone started ringing. Turns out she had quite a few friends who wondered if they could get the notes as well. It was time to find money to scale this—undoubtedly the most challenging part of this journey.
In 2016, I founded Gluu Society, a nonprofit tasked with doing this important work. Thanks in part to funding from the Government of Canada Digital Literacy Exchange Program, my dream of creating expert quality, ad-free learning resources for all older Canadians came true in 2019.
Fast forward to today. I am proud to say that all Gluu Society earning resources are 100% ad-free. We have helped hundreds of volunteers learn to teach digital skills in their community. And with the Gluu Crew, we have helped thousands of seniors take that life-changing journey across the digital divide. Gluu is true to its name. We’re making digital skills stick.
My mom stayed connected to us in between our face-to-face visits thanks to her digital skills. The grandkids especially loved her texts peppered with just the right emoji. We laughed together as she figured out Siri. The photos, stories, and memories we shared by text were conversation starters that wouldn’t have happened without technology. There is no doubt about it–mom’s digital skills made our family closer. Well done, mom.
In 2020, my mom passed away with her children, iPhone, and Apple Watch by her side. She never really loved her iPad. (Can’t win ’em all.) I haven’t removed her from our family iCloud account (and never will unless forced to). That means when I look at my people in the Find My app, there she is laughing with my son in her profile photo. That makes me smile every morning. I especially love the app notification that tells me mom can see my location.
Hope to see you online.
Linda Fawcus