They offer both in-person and virtual classes to keep seniors active and engaged.

SAN ANTONIO — When you enter your older years, making friends, staying up on technology, and simply staying healthy becomes more difficult. One free nationwide program that is also offered right here in San Antonio, hopes to help seniors become socially savvy, by keeping up with timely technology. The program is Senior Planet, in connection with AARP. The goal, to teach older adults around the nation how to use technology to improve their lives and help lead a growing social movement to transform how the world views aging. 

“I started taking different classes online, you know, and, trying to build myself up for the next phase of my life,” said Harvey Simmons who is a veteran, and two years ago says his hunger for knowledge led him to Senior Planet to learn new things. He added, “It was kind of hard for me. Change is hard for some people, you know, all of you get too stubborn.” Emily Flores, from AARP Senior Planet OATS in San Antonio told us, “We’re not teaching technology for the sake of technology. We’re teaching it as a means for our students to change how they age and empower them as they do so.”

Senior Planet offers all sorts of online classes on other topics like health and wellness, technology, social connection, life and culture, work and money, and creativity. With daily classes you can join right now like morning stretches, and yoga. Flores said, “We see the physical and mental health benefits and the increased, social engagement among our students. They really form a community of learning as they go through these programs.”

For Simmons learning virtual reality through the program has been a life-saver. He told us, “My son is a disabled vet. Okay. And I live away from him in order for me. We do a lot of chess playing and stuff like that. Life is moving on, and you have to get with it or be lost in a in the crossfire, so to speak.”

To find out more about Senior Planet in San Antonio head to their website or call 210-504-4862.