Tutors Teach Seniors New High-Tech Tricks

As humans, we define generations as different types of people from different times. Each generation had its own unique characteristics that defined their time. Though the variety of each time was great, it could have some additions from the new generation. One major thing the new generation could inform the “oldies” is that, accepting others put us far as a majority. Understanding different types of people without fear can bring happiness and success to lives, without trouble.

Have you ever had a time where you had to teach or got taught by another generation? Well in all of the stories and from personal experience one generation can learn from another in some type of way whether it is teaching about tech or learning how to love somebody. One Generation can teach the other generation to be patient, care about others, and value what they have.

This generational gap was what altered the development of real learning, for it allowed Generation Me children to assume that hard work was not needed to succeed and to learn. Due to the different mindset that was developed through the gap, self-esteem was not lacking in GenMe. So, it is understandable why Boomers felt that an individual should be more important than society. They had to go through life fighting for what they believed in, causing what Tannen calls the “human spirit” to take the blow (Tannen, 419). She states, “contentious public discourse becomes a model for behavior and sets the tone for how individuals experience their relationship to others and the society we live in” (Tannen, 419). Baby Boomers did not have self-esteem so they enforced it on their children, keeping them from ever feeling that way. The cause of them feeling this way is that “the human brain is almost infinitely malleable” (Carr, 70). That malleability was used by Baby Boomer parents in order for them to set a sense of self-esteem and individualism in their children. This alteration of their children’s minds was Boomer parents’ first mistake, for it did not allow children to discover their own worth. Rather, it supplied them with false encouragement, and prevented the possibility of engaging themselves in a society where everyone works together and is confident, but not individualistic.

The elderly population in the community has some areas that they need to overcome to be a successful learner. The limitations of the teaching and learning identified the following barriers.

It is important to understand our current generations and previous generations. Understanding generations’ differences can help us when serving the clients. Human service workers will be meeting clients not only from different cultures but also from different generation cohorts. Generation cohorts usually define as grouping people together who born 12-15 years apart and have common experiences. There are five generational cohort groupings: Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennial Generation (Generation Y) (The University of Iowa [UIOWA], 2009), and Generation Z. “Each generation has unique experiences that shape their behaviors and attitudes” (Kilber, Barclay, & Ohmer, 2014, p. 80).

Each generation has gone through multilevel conflicts that would come to define them in the annals of time. For example, in the fifties there was WWII and with the crystallization of the American Dream and our moral identity as a nation. Then in the sixties there was the Vietnam Conflict, Watergate and the Civil Rights Movement that began to peel away the façade. The eighties rose from the ashes of the seventies with a second attempt at a American Dream but created a Cold War and a very real wall that would fall before today with the War on Terror which eludes any comparison to the past. These conflict and consequences had a moral level that would defined what justice, morality and culture was. These fluid concepts ended up spurring real evolution in all aspects of life for each member in an increasingly global culture each generation. These evolving aspects of culture were often transgressive and therefor created unique and novel challenges for each individual who existed independently within the generation. This crisis of morality was a duty each member faced up to in a different way. Some students rebelled against their parents and grandparents moral perspectives in favor of one crafted in the molten passion of the present during the sixties. This was not an isolated incident, no freak occurrence. The seventies would see unpresented environmental revolution and an ensuing social revolution during the eighties. But going another level deeper in these moral

Unlike our predecessors, my generation should strive to find ways to grow through their differences.

As time progresses onwards, the rift between generations seems to widen. Today, an emphasis is often placed on the defining differences between the younger and older generations.

“The vast majority of 18- to 29-year-olds polled — 84 percent — said adult children have a responsibility to provide financial assistance to an elderly parent if he or she needs it (Winerip).” This data just shows that the Millennials do realize that they owe the older generations for their success and that they aren’t against them. From the research done and the articles read, it can be shown that these two generations can work together if they both put their stubbornness aside to help the rising generation.

elderly they tend to go back to the basics, using more useful and simpler language, possibly laymen

Have you ever wondered how the next generation of children would impact the world? With the internet at our fingertips and the vast amount of information accessible many young men and women have taken this opportunity to change the world. They change the world by innovating and finding new and easy ways to do everyday tasks. President John F. Kennedy states in his inaugural speech that it is the nation’s responsibility to help make the world a better place. Bob Dylan’s song, "The Times They Are A-Changin'" talks about how the world is going to become different and that we should be ready to move on when that time arrives. “The A&P” by John Updike discusses the status between previous and new generation. The next generation is ready to take ownership from the old.

In the book Connecting Generations, Claire Raines provides the following helpful insights on managing generations.

In addition, it is always essential to make sure that all communication is done face-to-face and the information is personally relevant. Every aged person has different deficiencies. By coming closer to the ears of patients with hearing and visual, not yelling or talking loud, they listen and understand better. Other patients might prefer pictures and visual communication skills, which is the educator’s duty to ensure that we provide accommodations for their disabilities (Chen, et al., 2013). Also, it is always significant to have a follow up with the patient. The constant repetition intensifies the importance of health education as well as stores the information with the elderly thereby making it easier for them to remember what they learned. Another factor to consider is the seniors teaching environment. Depending on the different environment, anything can be a distraction for anybody. Some seniors prefer to work in a quiet place while other prefer quiet zone but with a few board game around that will help them focus (Farrell, 2011). It is very imperative that health educators accommodate their choices and ensure that they have a good learning

Another reason, why one generation can learn from another is because they both benefit each other in different ways. In “Tutors Teach Seniors”

Generations can be loosely defined as bodies of individuals born and living at about the same time. “Each generation is molded by distinctive experiences during their critical developmental periods” (Twenge, 2008). The