January 29, 2025

Grateful for technology

In Other Words

No one appreciates today’s technology more than the elderly. Granted, we octogenarians and older may not be very good at it, but no one knows as well what it was like before all of this remarkable technology became available.

Growing up on a farm in rural Union County in the 1940s and 50s meant our telephone service consisted of a party line shared with several other users. Privacy of phone calls was expected, but human nature being what it is, the right to privacy was often ignored. Some on the party line were more likely than others to listen to their neighbors’ conversations.

Phones were wooden boxes attached to the wall in a central place in the home. Ours was hung on the wall in the hallway, high enough so folks wouldn’t bump into it. The system was operated through a central office in town in the private home of a woman whose job was to direct and redirect everyone’s calls. Each party was assigned their own ring. Ours was two longs and a short.

If there was an emergency in the community, the operator rang a very long ring that everyone recognized as a distress call. I still remember the anxiety such a call triggered in me as a child, as many of the emergencies that warranted such a call were indeed catastrophic.

Although some homemakers spent time visiting on the phone with their friends and neighbors, teenagers did not. Compared to the phone usage of teenagers with cell phones today, one may wonder what they did with all their time. In our case, it was mostly working at tasks and chores assigned to us by our parents. We did listen to music and read, but I don’t ever remember talking with a friend or a boyfriend on our party line.

I remember trying to call home when I was living in Los Angeles for a few years. Beginning the call from a dial phone in the city, and completing it with a request for two long rings and a short to my parents’ home on the farm, was an experience I didn’t pursue very often.

How I would have loved the convenience and speed of texting and emailing we have today. As a young wife and mother living thousands of miles away from my family, most of our communication consisted of infrequent, short letters with tiny black and white photos enclosed of my parents’ first grandchild. Today, I receive wonderful, colorful pictures and videos almost daily of my first great-grandchild. They are captured on my phone and on an Aura Frame with pictures of all of my family members rotating constantly next to my chair.

Communicating with family keeps elderly people connected like never before possible. E-mail allows us to receive all kinds of important information from our doctors, businesses and others. Texting can be almost like directly visiting and allows users to express concerns, share good news and all sorts of important information.

My family “visits” with one another on group chats, sharing pictures, funny memes and the latest gossip. And, of course FaceTime is almost like we’re in the same room. Facebook, Instagram and Snap Chat allow even more sharing with friends and families.

Add to that, Google, and one can understand why elderly people are amazed at what has been wrought in the world of communication. It’s a whole different world. Some may fear the openness and immediacy of our communication systems, but I think it’s wonderful. I just wish I were more skillful.

Fortunately, my grandchildren - since they were 10 years old - have helped me navigate all the stuff on my phone and computer. I can get locked out of my computer and one will help me get unlocked. Somehow, I’ll get into an app or something on my phone and one of my grandchildren deletes it for me. Another one has shown me how to copy and paste photos or articles, or how to get rid of pictures and articles I don’t want. It’s a constant learning process – and often a relearning process – but I’m getting better at it. And I’m always grateful for it.

I can’t imagine returning to the days before cell phones and computers. My only regret is I have lived most of my life without them.