Class Offers Computer Training for Seniors

A recent survey of 100 of the more than 350 seniors who have completed the Cal State Northridge SAGE Society’s Senior Computers classes indicates three-fourths of them are “still computering,” said Morris Cutler, a retired elementary school educator who coordinates the program.

That statistic is no surprise to Len Reiter of Northridge, who took one of the earlier sessions sponsored by the SAGE (Study, Activities, Growth, Enrichment) Society, a university learning-in-retirement program.

“Had I realized the things you could get into, I would have gotten my computer a long time ago,” he said.

Reiter, 71, a retired vice president of a manufacturing firm, is now a peer tutor for the Senior Computers class. The next session will begin July 11.

“Most older folks think it’s only another form of typewriter or, that at best, you can learn to e-mail,” he said. “But computers have lots more to offer.

“For example, when my wife was going to have hip replacement surgery, we not only saw all of the write-ups, we were able to view drawings of exactly what the procedure entailed.”

Politics, finance, travel and cooking are other popular areas of interest for seniors, said Reiter.

“I don’t think people realize there is nothing you can’t look up,” he said.

“Many older people haven’t been to prestigious museums. Using your computer, you can visit them and see famous paintings.

Cutler said new technology allows the classes to cover about twice the material they did when the program began in 1991.

“The computer programs are much more complex, but their instructions are simpler and the computers are faster, so you can do many more things,” he said.

Individuals interested in enrolling in the next six-week session, which meets Friday afternoons from 1:30 to 3:30, can contact the SAGE Society office at (818) 831-5064. The fee is $20.