Helping Older Adults Build Confidence with Technology

When Anne Banks began her work as a Principal Digital Navigator, she was already deeply rooted in her community. While running a senior center in Carolina Beach, she spent her days helping older adults navigate everyday challenges — answering questions, offering reassurance, and supporting people as more and more of life moved online.

But Anne could see the need extended far beyond her center’s walls.

When the opportunity arose to serve as a Digital Navigator through the Ageless Access program, Anne stepped into a role that allowed her to support older adults across nine counties in North Carolina. The program was a partnership between the Center for Digital Equity (CDE) and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging, designed to help seniors build the skills and confidence needed to navigate a digital world that increasingly touches healthcare, finances, information, and connection.

Meeting People Where They Are

As a Digital Navigator, Anne worked directly with older adults in community spaces — helping them use devices, access online resources, and overcome common barriers such as limited experience, physical challenges, or a lack of reliable internet.

Over time, she noticed a familiar pattern. Many seniors had been told — or had come to believe — that technology wasn’t for them. Years of relying on children or grandchildren to “do it for them” had quietly chipped away at their confidence.

Anne approached each interaction differently. She slowed things down. She encouraged people step by step. And instead of taking over, she stayed beside them.

“They’ve lived through so many generations of technological change,” Anne often reminded people. “They can learn one more thing.”

That encouragement made all the difference.

A Moment That Stayed With Her

One story Anne carries with her comes from Bladen County, where she met a woman named Betty. When Anne asked what Betty wanted technology to help her do, the answer was simple: she wanted to complete her Bible studies more easily.

Writing everything by hand had become physically exhausting due to arthritis, but Betty still wanted the work to feel personal and true to her faith. Together, Anne and Betty explored how technology could support that goal. They talked through a prompt for an upcoming Bible study and used AI to help organize scriptures and notes in one place.

Within moments, Betty had what once took hours of effort.

“She just glowed,” Anne recalled.

What mattered most wasn’t the technology itself. Betty could still edit, reflect, and make the study her own — with less strain on her body. The tool didn’t replace her work. It strengthened it.

Growing Opportunity, Building Pride

Across communities, Anne saw these moments again and again — the pause before something clicks, followed by a smile or a laugh when it finally does. Those “light bulb” moments became the heart of the work.

Through Ageless Access, Digital Navigators like Anne helped older adults build confidence, independence, and pride in their ability to navigate the digital world on their own terms. For Anne, seeing seniors leave with a sense of “I can do this” felt like the program’s lasting legacy.

Because sometimes, expanding digital opportunity isn’t about learning something brand new.

It’s about being reminded that you were capable all along.