If you have older relatives that you know are interested in using social media, there are a few things that you can teach them and help them learn about social media to ensure that this is a positive experience for everyone. So whether your elderly loved one wants to keep in touch with friends and family members while in their senior living facility or they want to find old friends who are also on a given social media platform, here are three tips for interacting with your older relatives on social media.
Help Them Learn How To Use Social Media Features
Once your older relative knows which social media platform they want to use, you can then help them learn how to actually use that platform to do what they want.
For many older adults, the buttons and icons for how to do things don’t automatically make sense. Because of this, it can be helpful for you to be there with them and teach them how to use specific features. Whether it’s finding a friend online, sharing a story, posting something, or messaging others,having you explain the features can be incredibly helpful for them.
Share Things That You Want To Further Discuss In Person
After you’ve helped your older relative set up their social media account and learn how to use the features that most interest them, another thing that you can use social media for is to connect with your older relative about things that interest both of you.
For many younger people, it can be hard to know what to say to older relatives, especially if you don’t feel like you have much in common. But if you’re able to find someone on social media that reminds you of them or that is about something that you know they’re passionate about, you can share that thing with them. Then, when you next see them in person, you can talk about this thing together and have something to converse about and bond over.
Remember To Share Big News Personally, Too
Social media is a great way to share information with a lot of people at the same time. However, just because you’re connected to someone online doesn’t necessarily mean that they are following you and will see what you’re posting.
Because of this, if there’s something important or a piece of big news that you’re wanting to share with your older relatives, it can still be helpful for you to reach out to them personally about big news that you want to share, even if you’ve posted it online. This way, you can know that they’ve seen or heard about your big news.
If you want to have better interactions with your older relatives on social media, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how this can be accomplished.
