Janet CollinsOlder People with Young Skills
September 8th 2009 06:01
Twitterer Ivy Bean, 104
According to TweetDeck the median age of Twitter users is 31, 27 for MySpace, 26 for Facebook and 40 for LinkedIn. That hasn’t fazed 104-year-old Ivy Bean from Bradford, England. Bean has a Facebook page and has grown very fond of Twitter and her words aren’t going into space either.
Bean’s Facebook account has the maximum 5,000 friends, a group she gathered in a very short time after joining the site, but Twitter has become her favourite networking site because it is easier to use and only needs updating she says.
An astounding 27,000 followers on Twitter keep up with her trials and tribulations of life and her every day things such as what she eats, when she has her hair cut and her favourite TV shows.
Bean's Facebook friends don't miss out on her updates either. Her accounts are now linked so that all of her tweets appear on her Facebook account as well.
Bean is possibly the oldest person on Twitter and she certainly is a model for older age learning but her age defying activities extend beyond technology. The great grandmother of two – soon to be five – and a resident of care home, Hillside Manor, recently won a gold medal at the home’s Over-75 Olympics in the Frisbee-throwing category.
Ivy Bean is not the only model in this story. Hillside Manor has to be applauded for the priority it gives to activities for its residents. If residents are interested in particular activities such as photography, the management of the home find ways they can learn them, some even attending local colleges. Some of Bean's fellow residents have caught on to the Twitter craze too. Manager Pat Wright says the home is trying to offer its residents something more than knitting or crochet.
Bean has now captured the attention of the international media. It would be a blessing if Hillside Manor and its innovative approach to aged care reaps some of the attention too. Many aged care homes here in Australia would do well to adopt some of Hillside Manor’s priorities for keeping people active, alert and connected.
Sourced: www.cnn.com; www.twitter.com
Image credit: www.cnn.com
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Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
Pop Culturist
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Health 2 Know
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Photography Tips
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Comment by Janet Collins
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I agree - what a gal?
Comment by Janet Collins
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Now that's a good suggestion and not a silly one. Ivy could do it and that would get everyone talking. We can only wait and see.
Thanks.
Comment by Janet Collins
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It certainly proves there is no age limit to learning technology or, in fact, anything else. Perhaps Ivy will inspire many younger than herself who have never ventured into cyberspace to follow her. It certainly isn't impossible.
Thanks.
Comment by Janet Collins
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Ivy could probably teach a few young ones a lot of tricks on the internet. It certainly proves she is able to attract so many people interested in what she says. She could probably teach a lot of we, orblers too!!! And yes, the pic is a classic, isn't it?
Thanks for dropping by.
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oh well, at least it keeps them off the streets
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Comment by Janet Collins
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Thank you.
Comment by Janet Collins
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I think Ivy has a lot more followers than just about everybody. Good on her.
Thanks for the visit.