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18 LIVE IT UP! SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014 SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL New Frontiers A senior citizen teaches senior citizens how to communicate via current mediums H er beloved grand- daughter was turning 4, but Grandma couldn't make it to the party. At least not in person. Instead, thanks to a little "face time" on her iPad, Grandma witnessed virtually the entire spirited event from the comfort of her favorite easy chair. The child opened her presents in front of her family's iPad, making sure Grandma got to see her open the one she had sent ahead. Then she carried the iPad upstairs, saying, "I will be very careful not to drop you, Grandma; I want to show you my bedroom." Grand- ma saw it all that day, and for everyone, it was the next best thing to being there. She was connected, she was included, and she got to experience and participate in a family gathering – from home. This life-changing ex- perience is precisely why real estate mogul Joanna Phillips, 70, volunteers her time to get senior citizens connected to the parts of their lives that extend beyond the home, by teaching them how to use iPads and iPhones. Prior to taking Phillips' class, Grandma had been reluctant to try. "These electronic forms of communication are part of a new era," says Phillips."But most senior citizens come from an old- school place. They think, 'If my grandkids want to talk to me, they'll call.' Then you won't be talking to them. Why? That's an attitude that belonged to your parents, not you. If you don't learn how to use an iPad or iPhone or laptop, you will lose com- munication with an entire generation. Yes, it's a new world, but it's time to get updated and become part of the current communi- cation context." An active Realtor who, for 20 years, owned a company that trained agents throughout Cali- fornia, Phillips also taught general real estate courses for the California Asso- ciation of Realtors, and was a Senior Real Estate Specialist for the National Association of Realtors, teaching agents all over the country about selling to or for senior citizens. As an agent, she continues to specialize in senior real estate, particularly the process of negotiating on behalf of senior citizens, and downsizing senior homes. Her focus, when volunteering, is also on seniors. "I was at the Mid County Senior Center in Capitola," says Phillips, "and people were talking about how hard it is to learn how to use an iPad. I find it easy. I didn't work in Silicon Valley, and I'm not a great computer nerd, but you don't have to be one to use it. Folks started asking for classes and, since I've been a national instructor, I knew how to do that." Having successfully taught her first eight- week course, which met once a week for one- and-a-half-hour sessions, Phillips began her second course on June 4. "Senior citizens learn differently than younger students," says Phillips, "particularly if they are at an advanced age. They need to come in, sit down, and participate right away. So I set it up as a hy- brid between a class and a workshop. I teach some- thing new, and then they try it. Many have short- term memory loss, so if I don't get them engaged right away, they may lose it. And, I don't teach more than three concepts per class. Anything more than that, and I lose them. My goal is to make it fun, so they will enjoy using their new skills later." Picture it. Your father has downsized from the big family home in which he raised you and all your siblings, to an assisted living facility, where he enjoys nutritious meals in the dining room, and socializing with his neighbors, but he no longer lives close enough to spend quality time with you. But, after a couple of classes with Phillips, he knows how to use his iPad, get on Facebook, and set up face time with you. You can set your iPad on the kitchen counter as you cook, at the dining table as you break bread together, and Dad can be part of the experience. He can talk with the grand- kids and hear about their latest achievements. Or you can sit down with a cup of tea and benefit from his wisdom, face to face, in the quiet of the evening. "It is amazing how this opens up the channels of communication," says Phillips. "And the senior citizens we teach quickly come to understand that. We don't teach them hard things. We teach what is practical, what they can use every day - email, tex- ting, taking and receiving photos, face time – things they can walk out of the class and use right away. The story about the grandma and her 4-year- old granddaughter's birthday summed it up for me. That's the traditional senior's attitude until they learn how to use the iPad, and then they get it."

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