Free computer classes offered seniors

Learning to use a computer can be a challenge for some older adults. What many small children accept as an every- day learning tool or game can seem mystifying to those who haven’t grown up around the Internet, Google, and other search engines.

Asking family members for computer help also can be frustrating when spouses, children or grandchildren don’t understand how complicated seemingly simple tasks can be to a novice.

That’s why English teacher Adam Berkley decided to offer his spare time to help teach computer basics to seniors. Berkley lives in Sunland and teaches part time at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster. “I’m not a computer whiz,” Berkley said.

However, he’s willing to impart the knowledge he has to local seniors who may be feeling befuddled by technology.

After a bit of frustration with trying to offer free tutorials, “People don’t believe it’s really free if you just put an ad in the paper,” he said, Berkley was asked by a YMCA staff person to offer the class free at the local Y.

Berkely agreed and recently began teaching the computer basics courses for folks 50 years old and older through the Crescenta Cañada Family YMCA.

The classes offer free individual instruction and can last for two, three or more classes, depending on individual’s needs.

“The classes are individual because no two users are at the same level,” said Nancy Turney, community services coordinator for the YMCA.

“Some people need a class to fine tune their skills and others don’t know how to turn on a computer,” she explained.

Potential students don’t need to be members of the YMCA in order to take advantage of the free courses.

To sign up, and get on the waiting list, call (818) 790-0123 ext. 225.

Although there are already about 12 people on the waiting list, students can expect to get to the top of the list within a few weeks, since most are only taking about two lessons, Turney said.

Learning to use a computer was a challenge for Doreen La Savio of La Crescenta.

La Savio took her first computer class with Berkley on Tuesday afternoon in a private room at the YMCA.

“All my girlfriends know how to use a computer and they keep telling me I should learn, but, you know ” she said, her sentence trailing off.

The wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, said she has put off learning to use a computer, despite her husband’s many offers to teach her.

“I kept telling him if I had a laptop [computer] so I didn’t mess up anything on his [computer] and if I had computer lessons, I’d try,” La Savio said.

For a first try, La Savio did great, Berkley said.

During the about one-hour class, La Savio went from being nervous clicking the mouse, to creating a Word document and writing the beginnings of a letter. She also learned how to spell check and change the font of the document.

“I haven’t typed for so long,” La Savio said. “Oh, wow, did I do that? This is amazing,” she said with a laugh, as she completed typing a sentence.

Berkley helped La Savio go back and retrace her actions, making sure she wrote out the steps so she could duplicate them for practice at home.

“There you go, you’ve got it,” he said. “You’re getting better already.”