Digital savvy Grace keeps in touch with loved ones during lockdown
Grace lives in one of Stonewater’s homes allocated for customers that are 50+. Recently and at the age of 79, Grace completed a six-week training course provided by Stonewater to improve her digital skills. Before retiring, Grace worked in an office and so was able to type but hadn’t really kept up to date with modern technology.
Grace moved to the UK over 50 years ago from New Zealand with her son. Since leaving home, her son has lived in various countries and so before the training, Grace had only ever been able to speak to him on the telephone. As part of the course, Grace learnt how to use Skype which she was thrilled with as it enabled her to not only talk to her son but also, they could see each other using Skype’s video call function. It somehow made him feel so much closer to home. More recently, Grace has expanded her digital expertise and now uses Google Duo for video calls by tethering her tablet to her mobile phone, because her tablet has a larger screen.
Grace loved that the training was carried out in her home, it was convenient and meant that she didn’t have to worry about travelling to do the course, which she feels, may have put her off doing it. The trainer was lovely and went at a speed that was suited to her, although she did admit that sometimes he had to be very patient as she couldn’t always take things in very quickly.
After she had completed the training, she couldn’t believe that Stonewater gave her the tablet she’d been using to carry on learning. She loves the tablet and has even bought a keyboard for it so that it is easier for her to type. When Grace agreed to do the course, she obviously didn’t know just how important her new skills wold be in the coming weeks. Living alone during lockdown has been a little bit more bearable for Grace being able to not only speak to but also see her son on a regular basis.