Teaching Tech to Elders: In-Home Care Melbourne Guide by Luxe Care

Write That Down: Document every step. Usernames, passwords, clicks, links, website addresses. Everything required to get the computer running, to log in, log on, and exactly how to search or post.

Overexplain: When explaining technology to seniors, remember your understanding of the device and the internet is very different to theirs. You will need to start from the very beginning. They may be unfamiliar with basics you don’t think twice about now, such as turning the device on or off, unlocking it with a passcode, screensavers, remembering passwords, opening webpages, the difference between a desktop and a webpage, annoying pop-up ads etc. When writing down or explaining, pretend you are also using the internet for the first time, it will naturally make your instructions more detailed. If you feel like you’re overexplaining, you’re doing it right!

Shortcuts: Set the homepage to Google Australia, install pop-up blockers and virus protection, disable automatic startups for programs they won’t use, set browsers to remember passwords automatically and increase overall volume and font size. Wherever a shortcut can be provided to make their use of technology easier, help your seniors out in advance before introducing them to the device.

Meaning: Describe the reason behind everything. For example: “Google is like a library where you can find information on any topic. Clicking on a link is like choosing which book you want to read”. This will help them understand why we use electronic devices the way we do.

Make Comparisons: Think about the devices seniors have grown accustomed to in their lifetime; television, radio, electric cooking devices, digital clocks etc, and use this knowledge to explain via comparison. For example, “a computer needs to be turned on the same way a television does before you can use it”. “A mouse and keyboard are like your “remote controls” that tell the computer what you want it to do”.

Combating Key Words: Google’s search engine automatically ignores commonplace words like “can” “and” or “my”. If your loved one types their search like a question (“Can you please find dessert recipes, thank you”), it will only display results matching “recipe” and “dessert”. Which may still return suitable results, but may, for example, present American results. A more effective search would be “Australian dessert recipe”. Teach your loved one to stick to brief prompts based on more unique words, and advise them to put “aus” or “Australia” at the end of their search.

Getting Started Online

• If creating a social media account for a senior, consider which platform their family and friends primarily use, and keep to just the one. Too many accounts can be overwhelming.

• Set their social media to private. Explain the concept of “friends/followers”, and that, even with the account set to private, all posts/comments will be visible to anyone permitted to follow their account.

• Remind them not to give out banking details or personal information to strangers. Explain that they are not obligated to respond to anything sent to them if they are unfamiliar with the sender or confused about what’s being asked of them. If they are unsure, they should wait until your next visit so you can check if its safe.

• A brief explanation of “online/offline”, “busy/away”, “lol” “brb” and “gtg” will be helpful for navigating online conversations.

• Explain emojis as a way of establishing or “softening” tone of voice in text 😊

• Show where text goes in comment boxes, emails, subject headings, and search bars.

• Remind young relatives to avoid slang or shortened terms when talking online to elders to avoid confusion.

• Explain junk or spam emails as the electronic version of junk mail/unsolicited telemarketer calls.

• If they express interest in online shopping, help them with the process. After making the purchase, unsubscribe their email from the company mailing list.

• Seniors often confuse Facebook’s search bar or comment sections with the Google search engine. Explain the differences of each platform. For example, “Each webpage is different. Facebook’s search bar will only search within Facebook. You will need to go to the Google webpage for more general topics”.

• There is an unfortunate recent trend of online conspiracy theorists preying upon seniors who do not recognise or understand false claims made online. These groups often disguise themselves using patriotism, solidarity and “us vs them” type messaging.  A helpful website for navigating fake news or conspiracies is Snopes.com. If your loved one is mentioning outlandish claims they saw on Facebook, you could visit Snopes together and see if it has been debunked (while getting an idea of just how much nonsense is posted online as fact every day!)

Other Helpful Tips

Be patient! Becoming irritated will discourage further learning and questions. If a senior is stubborn about learning new things, having them watch may be easiest.

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• Slow down! Don’t move to the next instruction until your loved one fully understands what you just explained.

• Help your loved one learn visually by having them watch as you navigate the computer or a smartphone.

• Many phones and computers now have accessibility settings to accommodate various issues like vision or hearing impairment.

• Seniors will likely read webpages left to right, top to bottom, like a newspaper, despite most websites placing their main content in the middle. Explain to them that most sidebar information is irrelevant to what they’ve searched for and is generally just there just to advertise or keep them on the website longer.

• Passwords should be easy, but not too easy. Combine street names with birth dates or pet/child names.

• When explaining technology to seniors, remember your understanding of the device and the internet is very different to theirs. You will need to start from the very beginning.

• When you visit your loved one, check their devices settings for any new software updates.

• The first three results of Google searches are used as advertising space paid for by companies. These results – easily discernible by the “Sponsored” logo next to them – won’t necessarily be incorrect. Still, they may be irrelevant to more specific searches (“weather in Donvale” may display generic, or non-Australian, weather websites for the first three results). A general rule in 2025 is that the fourth Google search result below Google Answers is now the first non-sponsored result.

• Voice to text is an option but many elderly people struggle with making errors and not knowing how to correct their mistake as the sentence types out.

• Be patient! Becoming irritated will discourage further learning and questioning. If a senior is stubborn about learning new things, having them watch may be easiest.

Luxe Carers are always happy to help with most online situations,

so please ask your carer first if unsure. Call Luxe Care today on 1300 674 886