Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest are all social media sites that most millennials use and understand. The latest and greatest ways to communicate are not just for the younger generation.  Residents at Presbyterian Village North are becoming just as tech savvy.  They recently participated in a class focusing on the ins and outs of Pinterest. The seniors brought their own iPads to the class, and now they’re well versed in creating and following boards and pin like professionals.  Their new Pinterest knowledge helps them relate to their kids, grandkids and will assist them in bonding with kids who come to the senior living community for camp over the summer.

“Many of our residents are already active on Facebook, and they all enjoy keeping up with technology trends,” said Leigh-Ann Loveland, independent living life enrichment manager and teacher of the Pinterest class at Presbyterian Village North. “Some of those who attended the class know more about technology than I do! The idea to teach this class came to me when I started using Pinterest to plan for events at the community. I realized, if I was creating boards for them, they would enjoy creating their own!”

Several of the residents have iPads they use every day to keep up with friends and even their grandchildren. They use Pinterest to search for craft ideas, recipes, travel tips, daily workouts and the latest trends.  The information on Pinterest sometimes gives them gift ideas for family and friends. The class started with a review of general statistics about Pinterest users and what they could find on the site. The seniors learned that Pinterest is like a virtual bulletin board, with each pin being the equivalent of bookmarking a website.

“I’m really intrigued by Pinterest and enjoyed learning how to use the site better,” said Ann Foster, resident at Presbyterian Village North. “I already found a craft idea that I plan on using this summer with the local kids who come here for Camp PVN. We are also using DIY project ideas found on Pinterest for our group the Sew and Sews, which is a group of residents that do sewing projects for a cause and then donate the projects to a charity.”

Foster has owned an iPad for about a year now and uses it every day. She emails, gets on Pinterest and has downloaded fun apps, her favorite being an app that provides a free jigsaw puzzle each day. Many of her friends who also attended the class have iPads as well. Walking through the halls at Presbyterian Village North, you can find residents who meet up for coffee with their iPads in hand.  They spend time discussing the different things they found on the Internet.

“The people who live at Presbyterian Village North are so much fun and enjoy learning new things,” said Loveland. “I love hearing them discuss what items are trending on Facebook, or what new craft or recipe they found on Pinterest. This group of seniors throws stereotypes out the window and thoroughly enjoys learning different ways to bridge the generation gap.”