She used to avoid the computer in her house, fearing that pressing a wrong button would ruin the entire hard disk, incurring the wrath of her children.

Now, 51-year-old Madam Sim Sok Kheng is not only able to distinguish the different components of a PC, she also regularly logs on to the Internet to check her own email account.

The housewife says in Mandarin: “I used to feel so scared when I touched my children’s PC. I didn’t want to spoil it accidentally. So I thought of picking up some IT skills to boost my confidence.”

Taking her first baby step towards overcoming her technology fears came with the help of the South West Community Development Council’s (CDC) first ever IT boot camp for the elderly.

The three half-day courses in November last year taught over 60 senior citizens like Mdm Sim basic IT skills, such as how to email and even play cyber games like Sudoku so that they would not feel obsolete and out of touch.

Says Keleen Wee, an assistant manager at the South West CDC who coordinated the project: “It allows the older citizens to integrate into today’s society. Most of them have a PC at home, but they don’t know how to use it.”

To facilitate learning for the participants, the course – fully subsidised by the South West CDC, was conducted by instructors from the Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP), who are senior citizens themselves.

Some 15 instructors were present during the November boot camp, with each trainer looking after four participants.

The first two days of the course – targeted at residents who are 50 years old and above – were devoted to practical lessons, while the final day saw the participants roping in their family members to compete in cyber games. Beyond just equipping the elderly with skills to bridge the digital divide, the free course also aims to keep them mentally alert and healthy.

During the course, some participants also formed a cyber community on Yahoo to communicate with one another.

“IT skills don’t just keep them mentally alert. It’s also a bonding tool so that they can connect with their grandchildren by learning some of their lingo and favourite past times,” says Ms Wee.

Mr Chang Min Tick, 71, can attest to this. The grandfather of three – the oldest participant at the IT boot camp – now has a common topic with his grandson.

“Now if I encounter problems on the Internet, I would ask my grandson to help me,” he says.

His only lament is the lack of Mandarin websites and software for Chinese-educated surfers like him.

The IT push by the South West CDC doesn’t just end with the boot camp.

Web Adaptation Technology (WAT) software, which would make computers more user-friendly through enlarging the text and providing audio for the elderly, would be installed at all eClubs within the district to create an elder-friendly environment.