Social media can be a great way for people of all ages to stay connected with the world around them. But for people who haven’t grown up using social media, like your elderly loved ones in senior living communities, using social media can come with a lot of challenges. Luckily, if you’re well versed in using social media, you can be a great help to them in figuring things out.
To help you in doing this, here are three things to teach your elderly loved one about using social media.
Help Them Find Content They’ll Enjoy
While most people know that they can find their friends and family members on social media so that they can keep in contact with them, many older people don’t know how to find communities or content pages that they’d like on these platforms. This is something that you can help them with.
On their social media profiles, help them think of things that they like or types of content that they’d like to see when they’re on their social media accounts. You can then help them find pages or communities that show this type of content. This way, when they log into their account in the future, they can have all kinds of content to look at that’s catered to them and what they enjoy.
Use Proper Privacy Settings
As you’re helping your elderly loved one set up their social media account, one thing that you’ll want to help them set up properly is their privacy settings.
While they might like the idea of being able to be found by people in their past who are looking for their name online, not having strong enough privacy settings can make your elderly loved one vulnerable to spam, trolls, and the like. So to help protect them from some of the darker sides of social media, opt for privacy settings that are pretty strong for them.
Teach Them How To Spot Scams
Social media is one way that scammers try to get people to fall for their tricks, especially elderly people who may not know what scams to look out for or who don’t have people watching their backs for them. But luckily, you can help your elderly loved one with both of these things.
First, you should speak with your loved one about ways that people often try to scam others on social media, like pretending to be someone they aren’t or offering something for free. Try to teach them to research before believing what they read on social media, or to ask you if something sounds fishy. This way, they can avoid being taken advantage of.
If you have an elderly loved one that wants to use social media in their daily life, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you in doing this.