RingMyTech publishes this checklist so families and community partners have something specific to use. It does not collect answers, and it does not produce a score. There is no national percentile behind it. When RingMyTech has real survey data, it will be labeled as such. Until then, this list is a set of questions and habits.
Use it across the United States in the same form. A seminar, a library session, or a family visit can print it without adding a city name to the title. The phrase to keep attached to it is Technology Wellness, which this page defines.
Technology Wellness questions
Read these five questions together. A "not yet" is a task, not a grade.
- Confidence: Can the everyday phone and computer tasks be read and found?
- Connection: Can family, a clinic, and needed services be reached on purpose?
- Safety: Do unexpected links, callers, and pop-ups get a pause before a click?
- Independence: Can ordinary tasks be done, and can help be requested without embarrassment?
- Support: Does everyone know the number to call, and has the older adult chosen who else may ask for help?
Family technology checklist
For the adult child helping a parent. The longer guide is help my parent with technology.
- One task is chosen, and the parent agreed it matters.
- Text is large enough to read without squinting.
- Bank, email, clinic, and family numbers are saved or bookmarked.
- Passwords live in one place the parent controls, and they are not read to callers.
- A two-factor code is typed by the account owner, not read aloud to a surprise caller.
- The gift-card rule has been said out loud: no company or agency is paid that way.
- RingMyTech, or another helper the parent chose, is saved in the phone under a clear name.
- Care Circle includes only the people the parent chose.
Suspicious-call and message checklist
Keep this next to the phone. The pattern library is the Scam Awareness Center.
- Did I contact them first?
- Can I call them back on a number I looked up myself?
- Are they rushing me or telling me to keep this secret?
- Are they asking for a gift card, a wire, cryptocurrency, or remote access?
- Are they asking me to read a password or a text code?
- Have I told one trusted person what is being asked?
How to print it
Use the print button on this page, or your browser's print command, and choose Save as PDF if you want a file. The navigation and buttons are hidden in the printed version. You do not need to give an email address to download it.
Community organizations may hand this list out when they host a conversation. A useful credit line is: Technology Wellness and Scam Awareness presented by RingMyTech. Link that credit to Technology Wellness or the Scam Awareness Center, whichever matches the session.
Print this checklist
Print it, mark the items that are not done yet, and bring one of those items to a welcome call if you want a person to finish it with you.