Many societies revere their elders and value their wisdom. Elders are respected as the source of life, keepers of tradition, leaders, and teachers. The Internet is an ideal medium for senior citizens to share their experience, exercise their talent, and remain vital. In an age where social services like Medicare and Social Security are under attack, the Net also is an important medium for organizing and influencing opinion.
Following are among the growing number of senior resources appearing on the Net, from discussion of old age ailments to political activist groups.
Senior citizens have their own e-zine. if you think zines and seniors are antithetical, check out the Active Senior Electronic Newsmagazine by sending a polite e-mail request to [email protected]
You also can check out the CyberSenior Review, a worldwide mailing list written, edited, and published by members of The Elders, an international senior citizens organization. For more information on the newsletter, send e-mail to any of the current editorial board members-Elaine Dabbs ([email protected]), Pat Davidson ([email protected]), or James Hursey ([email protected] columbus.oh.us).
To find out how the Net serves seniors and vice-versa, grab a copy of the Senior Group Newsletter. This is a good place to learn about helpful new resources andd organizations for Net-savvy seniors. Fo sample this informative newsletter, send a note to [email protected] and ask to be added to the list.
If politics is your fancy, go straight to WHCA95-L, the 1995 White House Conference on Aging discussion group. To subscribe, send a message to [email protected] with subscribe WHCA95-L Your Name in the body of your message. And if some of the White House policies bother you, you can always drop a note to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, which is available at [email protected]
Another e-publication for active seniors is the Economics of Aging Interest Group Newsletter, which is available by sending a message to [email protected] suvm.syr.edu with sub aging Your Name in the body.
While its style is academic, HUMAGE-L is an interesting list covering gerontology course curricula, ethical issues, and government policy on aging. To subscribe, send a note to [email protected] with subscribe humage-I Your Name in the body of your message.
Usenet News
There is only one dedicated senior citizens Usenet newsgroup, bionet.molbio.aging, which is an ongoing discussion group covering the ailments of the senior population.
Gopher
For the active retired executive who doesn’t want to totally give up the working world, the Service Corps of Retired Executives Association (SCORE) can be reached via gopher at gopher.sbaonline.sba.gov/Local-information/Service-Corps-Of-Retired-Executives. It lists contact information for each of its chapters in a state-by-state breakdown.
The Administration on Aging (AoA), the office administering the Older Americans Act, has a Gopher site at gopher.os.dhhs.gov /DHHS – Resources by Organization/Administration on Aging. The site offers health, government, and legal information for senior citizens.
The World Wide Web
Some people feel that senior citizens effectively lobby the Senate to get what they want. A lot of the guilty parties might be found around the Senate Special Committee on Aging pages, which are available at http://policy.net/capweb/Senate/SenateCom/AGING.html.
You can find the results of their lobbying with Social Security Administration Online (SSA Online), which includes a variety of information (in both English and Spanish), from the full text of the SSA handbook to a thorough FAQ. The server is available by pointing your browser to hftp://www.ssa.gov. Although a copy of the National Health Security Act is missing from this site, it can be found at
Moving beyond politics, the Seniors Computer Information Project helps wired senior citizens get their friends online. The organization also maintains some Web pages at
Another good place to look for general senior citizens resources is the Manitoba Senior Citizens Handbook, which offers a wide variety of links to senior-oriented information. The handbook is available at hffp://www.mbnet.mb.ca/crm/other/genmb/msch/mschO0.html.
Finally, for retirees who want to get back into the work force, there is the Senior Citizens Job Bureau, which offers its services at .