Many older people are initially resistant to the intimidating technology and wonder why they need to master it at this late stage in their lives. For them the computer can be both companion and entree to the outside world. Indeed, once they overcome their resistance, oldsters often become big Web enthusiasts. And there is the 'use it or lose it' phenomenon that applies to the human brain. The exercised brain functions better than the dormant brain.
Seniors find myriad ways to use the Web.
And confident that old dogs can learn new clicks, Justin Starren, a professor of radiology and medical informatics at Columbia University, is working on a four-year study designed to let 1,500 Medicare patients manage their diabetes electronically, via computer. Doctors in their 70s here use computers more than doctors in their 50s. Still, there's a good deal of hesitancy to overcome. Others have more specific fears that storing personal information, such as bank or brokerage statements, on a personal computer is too risky. There are other, more practical stumbling blocks.