I love the music of my youth and I am enjoying my prime by attending concerts. In recent years I've seen numerous aging rockers, including Rod Stewart (79), Eric Clapton (79), Ringo Starr (84) and Elton John (77).
Not surprisingly, the majority of the audiences at these shows had white hair and were born between 1945 and 1965.
Earlier this month, I went to see Welsh crooner Tom Jones at the Windsor Casino.
I easily purchased tickets online with my laptop, but electronic or e-tickets had to be downloaded to a cellphone on Google Wallet or some other app. No paper or emailed printable tickets were issued for online purchases. Printouts and photocopies were not accepted at the door.
For weeks I was nervous I would lose my phone or erase the tickets by accident. I checked my tickets constantly. I photocopied the scanning code on my phone, just in case.
E-tickets are becoming a common practice at concert and sports venues, and some venues are refusing to accept anything but digital tickets.
For people with limited cellphone literacy like me, downloading tickets to the Google Wallet application to go to a special event can require a tremendous learning curve. It may even require having to buy a new phone with more bells and whistles.
I downloaded the Google Wallet application last year, but I still struggle with scanning quick response (QR) codes to look at menus at restaurants that no longer have printed menus. (I avoid these places.)
I spend several hours a day on my laptop, but I have resisted cellphone technology as long as I could. I am old-fashioned and do not want to be married to my cellphone. (I can't find it most of the time at the bottom of my purse.)
Only a handful of people have my cell number. I have a landline. If you text me, you may never get a reply.
But people who are late adapters (or even non-adapters) when it comes to technology are being outsmarted.
To my point: Anyone who does not own or know how to use a cellphone and/or a computer/tablet is going to face numerous obstacles when it comes to accessing services and information.
And it will only get more difficult in the not-so-distant future, creating another level of haves and have-nots (or knows and not-knows).
For example, unless you have time on your hands and lots of patience, it has become almost impossible to speak to a human being when you require information about federal and provincial government services.
Got a question? Everything you need to know and every government form you will ever need are available at Service Canada and Service Ontario websites. (If you need to telephone a government agency, the numbers are listed on the websites.)
Welcome to electronic government or e-government for short.
It is a great service if you are computer literate and statistics show slightly more than 50 per cent of seniors used government online services in 2022. But what about the rest of the senior population?
What can you do? Smarten up!
- Ask your children, grandkids or friends for help.
- Make an appointment at the public library to get computer help from a staff member to access the information you need.
- Take a course to update your computer/cellphone skills. Inquire at the Parkside Centre about fall courses.
For the time being, citizens can dial 2-1-1 for help navigating federal and provincial services. Information about federal services is available at 1-800-622-6232.
(If you know someone who does not use a computer or a cellphone, print this story and give them a copy.)
It can be intimidating and frustrating but it is never too late to learn new tricks.
Technology has made life easier for seniors, allowing us to pay our bills and do banking from our living room, stay in touch with family and friends, and get fast information on any subject imaginable. Statistics Canada reports 2.3 per cent of seniors have used a dating website or app.
As for Tom Jones, at age 84, he sang only a few of his hits from the 1960s and 1970s backed by an outstanding band and light show. There wasn't a lot of shaking going on but he performed fresh material from his latest album, "Surrounded by Time." He is in his prime and enjoying it.
Vicki Gilhula is a freelance writer who is in her prime. Prime is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
