The Appalachia High School
sophomore volunteers to
teach
the elderly and their caregivers how to use computers.
It’s not easy to teach a
person who grew up before television how to navigate the
World Wide Web. It is challenging to teach a person who
voted for or against Harry Truman to use a mouse to direct a
small blinking curser around a computer monitor, but Jocelyn
found a way to do it.
"It was kind of difficult
but easy at the same time," Jocelyn said. "It’s easy if you
take your time and use your manners. It’s easy to get your
point across when you use your manners."
Manners are second nature
to Jocelyn. Respecting the elderly is a given, she said.
Jocelyn sings gospel music
in her church, Haven of Praise, and she often interacts with
older church members or at local festivals where she also
sings.
Her grandmother works at
Mountain Empire Older Citizens, an organization that
provides many services for senior citizens and their
caregivers. One service the group provides is to pair a
youngster with an elderly person, who wants to learn to use
computers and the Internet.
"My grandmother wanted me
to get involved, and I thought that I was not doing enough
to help the community, so I thought it would be a good way
to help," Jocelyn said.
She spent several weekends
tutoring the seniors. It went well once her students learned
that merely knocking off the mouse’s bright red tracking
ball was not a fatal error.
"They thought they broke
it," she said.
Part of the lesson plan
was instructing about having to click or double click on an
icon or Web page, something Jocelyn grew up knowing.
"Some of them were
caregivers for homebound elderly and some were even in the
early stages of Alzheimer’s disease," Jocelyn said.
It was important to teach
them how to use the Internet to find services they need, or
just to use a chat room to communicate with people in
similar situations, she said. Sending e-mail was also a
priority.
The program, which
recently netted MEOC a national award for innovation, soon
became the place to be, Jocelyn said. Enrollment increased
each time a class was held, she said.
"More and more people
would show up," she said.
The generation gap was a
challenge to some when it came to communicating, but Jocelyn
relied on her winning formula to get her through any
obstacles.
"I think you can
communicate with anyone if you use a nice attitude and good
manners," she said.
Watching her students grow
confident each time they clicked the mouse gave Jocelyn a
sense of accomplishment.
Her students also keep in
touch.
"Sometimes they call to
see if they are doing things right," she said.
"The Teens and Alzheimer’s
Caregivers Technology Project was a wonderful opportunity
for both the students and the caregivers," Julia Trivett
Dillon, director or family support services for MEOC said
Friday. "Jocelyn was a tremendous asset to the program.
"She had the patience,
attitude and computer experience to put everyone with whom
she worked at ease. This made the whole learning process
very positive."
Marilyn Maxwell, MEOC’s
executive director, said that Jocelyn and the other teens
make a real difference in many lives. The program has
received national attention and information has been sent to
similar organizations in Florida, New Hampshire and Arizona,
Maxwell said.
"The caregivers were very
impressed with the students’ knowledge and their ability to
explain it," Maxwell said.
The teens also learned
more about what families who care for their elderly
relatives need and what sacrifices they make to keep their
loved ones close to home, she said.
or
Back to Home
