Book Review : Welcome to Electronic Senior City

CHICAGO —  Computer addicts from Hawaii to Vermont are tapping into a network of terminals, swapping electronic letters, flirting with long-distance romance and sharing advice on tax, stocks and old age.

Ranging in age from 55 to 95, some are housebound, others are active. All are hooked on computers.

“Our vision is for an electronic senior city,” said Professor Mary Furlong, founder of Seniornet, a system that links more than 3,000 elderly Americans and Canadians.

Seniornet teaches members what seems to come naturally to their grandchildren--playing with computers--and then hooks them up to thousands of “pen pals” across North America.

Some members use the terminal to ward off loneliness by writing to screen-seniors who live thousands of miles away.

“If I’m immobilized, I’ve got my world right in front of me. I can go on-line and laugh with anybody,” said one user.

Others want more than a chat and share tips on investment, health, beauty and political lobbying.

“Seniornet is bringing wisdom to the Information Age. What these people most want is to share what they know,” said Furlong.

One member uses his terminal to produce a newsletter on bees. Another churns out flyers for square dancing. One woman has written her family history while another has finished a book on aging.

One member has even adapted her new-found skills to land a television job in computer graphics.

Since Furlong formed Seniornet six years ago, she has taught computer illiterates not to fear the Technological Age, but to enjoy it.

“The nice thing about pressing computer buttons is that there’s a delete button. They laugh when they find that out--it’s easier than carbon paper,” said Furlong, who has taught seniors word processing, desktop publishing and financial management by spread sheets.

The system began with a teaching manual, “Computers for Kids Over 60,” and Furlong says her baby has grown up into “a very powerful emotional support system--a talking forum.”

It can help even Furlong. “I got up at four this morning--I couldn’t sleep--and had four messages waiting for me, lovely letters from users.”

Users who are on-line can swap news on a bulletin board, chat in conference or more intimately by electronic mail. Couples need only a terminal, modem and a telephone line.

Others use computers at sites such as hospitals, schools and retirement homes. One site coordinator said the network benefits seniors who feel excluded from the mainstream to regain self-esteem.

At one California retirement home, the first resident to enroll was the home’s oldest--a 92-year-old nun. For another user, Seniornet was an “opportunity at age 70, to be in something for the rest of my life. It’s been a ball.”

This atmosphere of good times and learning gives a positive image to seniors, said Furlong.

“Our membership is profiling a different image of aging. It’s a network to share experience and to harness their talent by giving them access to the tools they have been denied.”

Joan Elswit, 65, who writes a regular on-screen column, said: “One generation learned computers in school, the next generation in the office. We just didn’t learn it.”

Industry was quick to tap that potential and offer help. Apple Computer has donated computers and Pacific Bell has sponsored a site in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

As architect of the “electronic senior city,” Furlong has visions of new on-line buildings--a health clinic, a financial advice shop and a government information center. But she has to hurry.

“I only have about 11 years to build this city,” she says, “that’s when all the baby-boomers hit 55.”