Technology can be a barrier to services for seniors

For the past several weeks, Sandra Graber has been desperately trying to help her friend, a 79-year-old Vancouver resident, recover Social Security payments that didn’t arrive in December and January.

Her friend can’t go online to resolve the issue because she doesn’t own a computer.

Many senior citizens across Clark County and the United States are grappling with recent changes to Social Security and the increasing role that digital technology plays in their day-to-day lives.

Graber — a Cornelius, Ore., resident — didn’t want her friend named because she has early-onset dementia. Graber serves as her agent under power of attorney. She recently took her to the Social Security Administration office in Vancouver, where they were told that they could either wait in line for several hours or make an appointment for two months out.

Neither option was acceptable to Graber.

“They should be helping us. We’re paying them to help us,” Graber said. “And saying, ‘We’re short-staffed; we just can’t get to it,’ that’s inexcusable. I’m sure there’s other people out there that are having the same problem that we’re having, and I feel sorry for them.”

Online shift

Essential services — such as Social Security, banking, medical portals, prescription refills and communication with family — are now largely provided digitally.

“Technology is no longer optional,” said Megan Anderson, a member of the Battle Ground Senior Citizens nonprofit organization’s board of directors and senior real estate specialist. “When seniors do not have the skills or access to navigate these systems, they can unintentionally be excluded from services they depend on.”

According to an American Association of Retired Persons survey, data privacy is seniors’ top barrier to technology adaptation. Anderson said many aging adults worry about making a mistake, being scammed or feeling embarrassed for asking questions, and struggle with physical challenges such as vision changes, hearing loss or reduced dexterity that can make learning more difficult.

It’s critical to get information out to aging adults through caregivers, neighbors and faith communities, rather than placing the burden on the aging adults themselves, said Cass Freedland, a member of the Clark County Commission on Aging.

“As online systems evolve, they leave many of us behind,” she said. “And many folks don’t have technologically savvy friends to turn to for help, so the burden falls on the aging person — another form of inequity.”

Social Security

On March 31, the Social Security Administration introduced stricter identity-verification rules aimed at preventing fraud that require recipients to access key benefits online or in person at a field office rather than by phone.

According to the agency, older adults can receive assistance without using a computer by calling a toll-free number, visiting local Social Security offices or submitting paperwork by mail. Help from family members or authorized representatives is allowed, though the applicant may need to be present during phone calls or in-person visits.

The Social Security Administration also switched to electronic benefit payments in the fall of 2025, eliminating paper checks in an effort to improve security and reduce delays. Beneficiaries are now required to receive payments through direct deposit or the Direct Express Debit Mastercard.

“We presume an adult is capable of managing his or her own benefits,” a Social Security spokesperson told The Columbian. “If it appears this may not be true, we gather evidence to decide if we need to appoint a representative payee.”

Graber, however, remains frustrated that the system hasn’t provided a viable way for people such as her friend who can’t go online and can’t easily confirm their identity in person or via phone call due to medical issues to access their benefits.

“There are people out there with different problems,” Graber said. “It just doesn’t make a lot of sense.”