Let’s be honest, technology can be frustrating. And it can be even more so for those who have moved from landlines to cell phones with apps over the last 50 years. It can get so bad that some might not want to touch the stuff at all.
After spending hours and hours with his own parents, Brett Vannatta realized they weren’t the only ones struggling. So, in 2024, after leaving his previous job, he started Gray Matter Tech Services, a one-man business meant to help seniors feel more confident in their technological abilities. “There were a lot of people that didn’t have that support and no one else was really doing it,” he says.
Vannatta offers unique one-on-one instruction sessions tailored to each client’s specific needs. He is also hired by senior living facilities to host seminars or provide tech support to those who need it. Sometimes that means helping seniors transfer data, set up a new device or buy a new phone. His seminars cover topics like artificial intelligence, how to use health care portals, how to shop online and even how to use DuckWeb to buy tickets for sporting events around town.
Getting in-person support from someone who is patient and understanding makes all the difference, especially if some degree of frustration has already kicked in. Vannatta says sometimes he hears that when a senior does not fully understand their technology, “they’ll put it in a drawer and say, ‘I guess I don’t use a computer anymore.’”
But it doesn’t have to be like this. Vannatta says if you get that confidence back, you can start to learn more about all the different things technology can do to make your life easier.
Understanding technology can help seniors connect with distant family members via video calls, manage appointments, shop online and access telehealth. It can provide entertainment and news to a level otherwise inaccessible. But with access to the internet comes a certain level of danger, especially to those who don’t understand today’s online threats.
Con artists will always try to find new ways to create convincing scams. The FBI reports that in 2023, seniors in the U.S. lost an estimated $3 billion from fraudulent activities. A year later, it determined that Americans as a whole lost $16 billion as a result of internet crimes. A staggering 101,000 of these victims were seniors.
A scam is currently floating around Oregon where victims will receive an official sounding message meant to appear as the DMV saying you have an unpaid traffic ticket and must pay immediately or risk criminal prosecution. This is known as a “phishing” scam where scammers pose as legitimate agencies to gather and steal valuable personal information.
Vannatta says scams use three major elements to draw people in: emotion, sense of urgency and secrecy. “I’ve seen things where you’ll get a pop-up that is supposedly from the FBI, and they make it sound so onerous that you don’t want to tell anybody,” Vannatta says. Scammers will often urge victims to send payment right away through suspicious means like gift cards, wire transfers or even cryptocurrency.
Experts say one of the best ways to avoid scams online is to not click on suspicious links. All government websites end with a .gov address. Scammers will try to trick you by putting .gov somewhere in the link, but not at the end. If you have doubts about the legitimacy of a call or link, contact the agency directly and inquire there. Then, the agency should be able to inform you if the call or website is legitimate.
Since he’s started Gray Matter, Vannatta says he’s hosted over 30 seminars covering how to avoid scams that are getting increasingly harder to spot. Despite the risks associated with being online, however, Vannatta says that tech can still “be really liberating for seniors, especially if you have mobility challenges or you don’t drive,” adding that “being able to use technology if you have the support is really important.”
Struggling with technology absolutely does not mean it’s too late to learn. “I think the biggest thing is: don’t ever think that people can’t learn new things,” Vannatta says. “I see that over and over again, if you’re patient, seniors absolutely can learn new things and take advantage of technology.”
Brett Vannatta of Gray Matter Tech Support can be reached through his website at GrayMatterAssist.com or by calling 541-525-9131.
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
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Publisher
Eugene Weekly
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