Senior High Tech Comes To Kemmerer

Tanya Johnson, AARP Wyoming

Lincoln County residents can receive a free one-on-one tutoring session on their cell phones and other mobile devices thanks to high school students from Kemmerer High School on October 11, from 1-3 p.m. at the Kemmerer Senior Center.

The event, called Senior High Tech, is a collaboration between the school, as well as AARP Wyoming and The Kemmerer Senior Center. The training is free and there is no requirement to be an AARP member in order to take part in the event. In addition to the tech tutoring, a free lunch, courtesy of AARP Wyoming will be available on Oct. 11. Providing technical support for the event will be students from Kemmerer High School.

At each event, a group of students from the local high school provides one-on-one tutoring sessions to those age 50 and over in the community. During past Senior High Tech events, high school students have helped citizens with questions such as finding old emails, sending photos to loved ones, or adding apps to the phone. These are typically easy answers to offer and the library does have WIFi, allowing for work online.

AARP Wyoming supports the events as they help address issues with social isolation, both in-person at Senior High Tech events, as well as by helping those age 50 and over to better engage online. According to studies, social isolation has the same health impacts as smoking 15 cigarettes per day.

AARP Wyoming has been sponsoring Senior High Tech events for two years with the first series of Senior High Tech events happening thanks to a collaboration between AARP’s Goshen County Community Group, The Goshen County Senior Friendship Center, as well as students from Lingle-Fort Laramie High School’s student council and Future Business Leaders of America groups. The series of events saw over 150 participants and has led to a new line of service delivery from AARP Wyoming.

Senior centers, or service organizations interested in holding a Senior High Tech in your community can contact Tanya Johnson at: tajohnson@aarp.org.

New Partnerships for Senior High Tech

Following the technology tutoring at 1 p.m. will be a presentation by Wyoming Relay at the Kemmerer Senior Center. The Wyoming Relay/Deaf Services Program is proudly offered by the Wyoming Division of Vocational Rehablitation, an agency of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services. The Wyoming Relay/Deaf Services Program provides numerous services to individuals who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or speech impaired, and to individuals, businesses, or agencies that work with or assist these individuals. Wyoming Relay staff will be on-site to offer various forms of assistance for those who struggle with hearing loss.