Computer Lab Helps Bridge Generation Gap

Unable to contain her bursting family pride any longer, Ruth Hartzell just had to interrupt the program. So she raised a hand above her head and waved to attract attention.

The occasion was the grand opening of a new computer classroom for elders where the teachers are all teenagers. A table held cookies and punch. Speakers and various dignitaries sat around another table.

The dining room of the assisted living wing at Park Place Retirement Community was packed with two dozen West Valley High School students and three- or four-score of the center’s residents, mostly in their 80s.

Partners in Time, as the new training project is called, pairs elders with youngsters eager to share computer skills.

West Valley School District Superintendent David Smith had just been introduced when he spied a hand waving urgently at the rear of the room. Pausing, he pointed a finger in Hartzell’s direction and said, “Yes, the lady in the red sweater - do you have a question?”

“I just wanted to say,” Hartzell announced to the room at large, “that I have a granddaughter here.”

Far from blushing with embarrassment, as young people are apt to do when adult family members call public attention to themselves, the girl jumped to her feet and beamed with pleasure.

The crowd of elders and educators cheered and clapped.

Mrs. Hartzell is 75. Her granddaughter, Renee Hartmeier, a West Valley High freshman, is 14.

Though separated by a chasm of 61 years, they have a lot in common. And their bond epitomized to perfection the goal of the program, which was: “Generations coming together to make technology a little friendlier.”

It was a theme played out with repeated demonstrations of affection, hugs all around, and a playful skit performed by the student teachers, who employed humor to dispel the myth that digital technology has to be a horrible and frightening experience for everyone except the very young.

The pioneer intergenerational relations project is the brainchild of West Valley counselor Suzanne Scott. A 28-year veteran, Scott says today’s generations experience a debilitating disconnect. They don’t understand each other’s worlds.

She wants to help rebuild understanding, empathy and respect, using computers as a bridge. “Our aim,” she says, “is to reconnect young and old, provide opportunities for lifelong learning, develop new interests, and enhance the physical and mental health of older adults.”

Partners in Time hopes to place computer labs in a number of retirement centers. In addition to West Valley School District and Park Place Retirement Community, partners in the initial computer classroom include Kelley Clarke Inc., Spokane Valley Kiwanis and Macro Com Communications Services, all of whom contributed equipment, labor and time to the project.

Ruth Hartzell, who has “11 wonderful grandchildren,” was completely unaware that one of them was coming to the center to teach until Renee phoned the night before the big event. “But now that I know what I have been missing and how I can learn,” said Hartzell, “I’m going to take these young people up on their offer.”

Right. But why in the world would a 14-year-old girl, with aspirations of becoming a lawyer, want to spend her free time teaching elderly retirees to master the latest technology? “I really like older people and I like computers,” she replied with disarming candor. “They’re both fun, and I’ll learn a lot.”

Tapping the wisdom of elders also motivated other teen teachers.

Melanie Larocque’s dad works for a computer company. She plans to attend college and become a police officer. Meantime, the 17-year-old performs community service work with SCOPE (the Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Effort), which is run by retired seniors. “I really connect with older adults,” says Melanie. “I dearly love my grandparents. We have such great fun, and I learn so much from them. I want to give back to others.”

Who could refuse that?

, DataTimes MEMO: Associate Editor Frank Bartel writes on retirement issues each Sunday. He can be reached with ideas for future columns at 459-5467 or fax 459-5482.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Frank Bartel The Spokesman-Review