The population of older adults using computers is growing more
than any other age group. Unfortunately, with age usually comes a
decrease in finger dexterity as well as vision - two key aspects of
using a computer. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to
overcome these obstacles to allow for an enjoyable computing
experience.
One of the problems seniors often come across is double clicking
- something that, by default, is necessary to open files and
folders. Either the mouse will move between clicks, or the clicks
are not quick enough. There are two easy ways to solve this. The
first involves adjusting the required double-click speed - slowing
this will make it easier to double-click. To adjust this
setting:
- Open the Control Panel
- Open the Mouse settings
- Under Double-click Speed, move the slider toward "slower"
The other solution is to turn files and folders into
single-click objects. To do this:
- Open an Explorer Window
- In the Tools menu, select "Folder Options"
- Select "Single click to open an item"
For more help navigating with a mouse, you might consider
purchasing a trackball device as an alternative to a standard
mouse. This allows one to leave the cursor on an object, and then
click, as opposed to trying to hold the mouse still, while
clicking.
Typing is another aspect of computing that can be made easier.
Sometimes there might be trouble with holding down a key too long,
causing it to be repeated unintentionally. This can be adjusted
through the keyboard's Repeat Delay setting. To adjust this
setting:
- Open the Control Panel
- Open the Keyboard settings
- Under Repeat Delay, move the slider towards "Long"
Lastly, Windows has several other accessibility features built
in, such as a magnifier and a text reader, which are particularly
useful for those who are visually impaired. These features can be
accessed through the Control Panel. In Windows XP, this is simply
called "Accessibility." In Windows Vista and Windows 7, this is
called "Ease of Access Center."
The following links provide more information about the
accessibility features of Microsoft Windows:
Windows XP: http://www.microsoft.com/enable/products/windowsxp/default.aspx
Windows Vista: http://www.microsoft.com/enable/products/windowsvista/default.aspx
Windows 7: http://www.microsoft.com/enable/products/windows7/default.aspx
Brian Holmertz, United Methodist Home Maintenance
Chicago Senior Living
Assisted Living
in Chicago