May the Fourth be with you!

I had a little fun in the headline with the famous line from the “Star Wars” saga for an easy-to-remember "save the date" reminder for an upcoming event for our beloved seniors, their families and friends.

Although the digital world, aka internet or the cloud, makes it easy to look up information for any senior-centric services and products, meeting the actual representatives to ask questions and receive literature in person in the real world is always helpful. After all, a 2016 Pew Research Center survey showed that 36 percent of Americans over 65 years of age do not use the internet.

Modeled after a very successful Business Expo in the Westshore area, our seniors will now have an “Expo” of their own! The Center for Aging in the Digital World, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a vision of "a world where everyone is digitally literate" is organizing their first annual Senior Expo on May 4 (get it? May the Fourth!) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Don Umerley Civic Center in Rocky River.

This is a free event for attendees so our seniors and their support system (i.e. family and friends) can meet exhibitors of senior-centric services and products under one roof. There will be demonstrations, door prizes and rest areas for seniors. All proceeds go to operate the nonprofit’s flagship program “Discover Digital Literacy!”, a 10-week program free to participating seniors, who learn digital literacy using tablets. The “Discover Digital Literacy!” pilot program was successfully completed last December by graduating 12 seniors, ages 62 to 84, with newly acquired digital literacy skills.

Digital literacy is a new “life skill” necessary to live in the duality of the real world and the increasingly dominant digital world where information, entertainment, products and services are delivered to you through digital world interactions. Whether you are at home or out-and-about, a smartphone brings new meaning to the phrase, "information at your fingertips."

"Star Wars" fans know about the “The Force” which has light and dark sides. How you empower and enrich your life through the digital world is the light side, while the nefarious entities trying to victimize you through email is utilizing the dark side of The Force. This is another reason why the Center for Aging in the Digital World teaches digital literacy with practical internet "street smarts" to use while enjoying the many benefits provided by the digital world.

Mely Sato, the group's executive director (also my wife), and yours truly hope that attendees will benefit from the senior-centric exhibitors under one roof at our Living in the Digital World Senior Expo on May 4! We hope to see you there.