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Carol N., a Baltimore learner, loves to learn. She knows the importance of learning since her dad had dementia.

‍“Learning and exercise help to diminish the effects of dementia. My brother and I always noticed my dad was clearer after his morning walks.”

Carol retired early from her secretarial work, when she got a trigger thumb. She decided to stop working in order to help care for her aging parents, who were living in a senior care home at the time. As many caregivers know, organizing and settling accounts and end-of-life plans can be a lengthy process.

Never one to stop learning, she took up learning the skills she never had time to explore. Her interests range from art to technology, including sewing, jewelry making, sculpting, programming languages and the mechanics of microcontrollers.

 Prior to the pandemic, she spent a lot of time taking classes at her local senior center. While she came from the secretarial world in the 1990s and had a basic knowledge of technology, she was eager to learn more about the Cloud.  A high school volunteer tried to introduce her to Google Docs, but she was still confused.

 “Cloud classes with Wade at GetSetUp were great. I finally understood what the cloud is.”

 Learning from peers has been impactful. Carol had tried learning in local hackerspaces around town. She had gone specifically to learn more about microcontrollers, such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino.  She wanted to learn how to make a kitty feeder out of a plastic  bottle, full of dry cat food.  Once hooked up to a microcontroller and a timer, it would turn over to feed her cat at 2pm when she was out.

 “There are lots of high-level engineers there to help. They tried to teach me, but just because they are extremely smart, doesn’t make them good teachers. GetSetUp Guides are above anything else I’ve ever seen.  They can take complex concepts and explain them to the average learner.”

 Carol’s favorite classes, though, gear towards the arts with Sue Murray.

 “Sue takes anything around the house, like toilet paper rolls, and turns them into cars. I couldn’t understand how to effectively make an axel, and she suggested a straw. It worked! Even though it’s like almost midnight here when her classes happen, I love to watch what she makes, so I stay up late to see them!”