Ken Larson Interview with Silver Fox

Resident Perspectives
Posted on January 9, 2012 by sonetfox

http://blog.silverfoxbroadband.com/?p=189

Over the past year, I’ve shared information on Internet access’s impact on residential living and retirement communities. I’ve covered everything from compliance to the financial impact of offering Internet services as an amenity. Savvy business people subscribe to content that keeps them informed about trends to stay ahead of the curve in their respective industries. As a business owner, the most important content I want to review is from my customer.

When interviewing Ken Larson, a resident at a veteran’s home, the first thing that came to mind wasn’t how important access to the Internet was to him, but how important it was that the facility was kept immaculate, affordable and comfortable. The second thing was how he represents the next wave of seniors entering retirement communities.

Meet Ken…

SilverFox:
In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of offering broadband in retirement communities?

Ken:
As a 66-year-old disabled retiree living in a veteran’s home in Minnesota, I have observed the impact of having broadband and Internet, as well as Wi-Fi throughout the campus for 180 veterans here, ranging in age from late 20s to late 90s. It has permitted them to stay in touch with their families, the news, sports and the world at large. It also provides entertainment.

Many here are severely disabled so it is a great asset to them. Others have furthered or completed their education online and located work, permitting them to leave. Training is provided and many own their own PCs. I do not own my own hardware for reasons I shall explain.

Sadly, internet use can also promote vegetation, compulsive gaming and, for those with sleep disorders or gambling addictions, a continued tool to further their maladies.
There are residents who don’t get enough exercise, which leads to obesity. And there are some mental health challenges for some individuals here, 20 years younger than I, who are physically capable, but who never leave the facility grounds and rely on the Internet to enable their lifestyle, which in this case isn’t healthy.
Due to budgetary limitations and HIPPA laws, which prevent most forms of interference, if the individual is not willing to accept help at a Federal VA Hospital, he is not treated for health challenges such as these.

It is unfortunate because the town here is unique. There are 25 miles of scenic trails along rivers and woods, and the area has much to offer. Yet few residents investigate. They fall into a culture of control and habit.

I use the Internet two hours a day in the morning and evening. I use the PCs that the facility furnishes. Afterwards, I depart for a three mile walk to the public library or client locations, spending 12-14 hours away, volunteering for small businesses, hiking, fishing, photographing and the like.

Occasionally, I use library or client hardware while away.

SilverFox:
How did you figure out a way to maximize the potential of the Internet instead of falling into some of the more negative habits you mentioned about some of the other residents?

Ken:
I live in a state run veteran’s home in Minnesota. The facility provides food, lodging, medical and dental care to veterans, as well as Internet service via Wi-Fi throughout the campus. It doesn’t allow residents to conduct business on the premises. Because I’m passionate about consulting small, minority-owned, veteran-owned and women-owned businesses, I was motivated to leave the facility and provide face-to- face, as well as online work, and make presentations to community organizations. I spend about six hours a day at an office that the county gives me free of charge as a non-profit organization at the local library. I don’t profit in any way from my help in developing these enterprises and serving the community.

SilverFox:
To what extent does the Internet enable your lifestyle? You seem to have a rich social life online and in real life. Your LinkedIn Network, for example, includes more than 500 people. What does that network mean to you?

Ken:
I grew into LinkedIn and networking as a function of my SCORE and Micro mentor volunteer work after retirement.

I am a two-tour Vietnam veteran who enlisted in the Army after completing high school and two years of college at the University of Minnesota. Upon returning home, I spent 36 years in the aerospace and defense business working contracts and program management on many of the weapons systems our troops are using today.

I retired for health reasons in 2005. As a natural extension of my career, I began volunteering with the SCORE and Micro Mentor Foundations, I started advising enterprises on how to get into the field to take advantage of loans, set asides and other advantages offered by the federal government to small, veteran-owned, and minority-owned and women-owned business, and those residing in Historically Under Utilized Business (HUB) Zones.

In order to manage the high volume of inquiries in federal government contracting, I set up a Google blog as an extension of my volunteer work that blossomed into a website. It costs $10 a year to buy and convert it from a blog to a domain in my name. This blog contains the basics of entering and succeeding in the government contracting venue, as well as my books and articles on the subject for download via Box Net, also a free application. The idea was to refer clients to article links at the site to avoid being repetitive to new clients, while still keeping myself available for specific inquiries and problems.

I linked everything together on LinkedIn and began answering questions using the “Answers” feature, as well as registering to use other free applications for networking websites to see how that could benefit my work. I’ve also used Twitter, BlogCatalog, Facebook, Widgetbox, Friendfeed, Ning and similar free applications on my site.

The AdSense Feature added cash flow. I gained nearly 30% of my clients from LinkedIn or LinkedIn related networking.

As a result, I’ve seen heavy traffic and good efficiency in supporting more than 5,000 counseling cases within the last seven years with virtually no expense to me as a volunteer working for non-profit organizations. I received a SCORE National Achievement Award in 2010 for volunteering 1,600 hours to 500 small businesses that year.

SilverFox:
You mentioned that you are an advisor to several retirement communities in development and that you have helped to develop about three dozen communities over the last three years. Do you recommend that they provide Internet as an amenity?

Ken:
I think it is important for seniors who have become adapted and who use it. For people who aren’t well mentally or have obsessive-compulsive tendencies, it can drive them to abuse their mind. If a facility doesn’t have the policies in place to manage or the correct license to deal with these health concerns, those residents may be at high risk. The facility they live in cannot tell them not to use the Internet, but they can install a system that blocks certain sites that tend to be traps for the residents of these facilities.

Bottom line—Striking the right balance is important with regard to these communications technologies, but it is a personal decision, much like other venues in our free society. Thus, facility management can only do so much.

SilverFox:
The vast majority of seniors utilizing the internet do so wisely. It is an important tool for them to maintain connections with family and friends as well as to continue to challenge and stimulate themselves intellectually. Ken is a wonderful example of all the good that can be done by seniors when they are provided with access to the internet and other modern tools of technology.

Ken brings up valid concerns about the challenges that the Internet brings to retirement communities, but ones that can be mitigated if the community properly manages their network. For example, a firewall or filter can be put in place to limit certain online activities. I’ve done this for the VA Hospital in Iowa City and had requests to do this from religious colleges. Residents who aren’t able to actually go out can use the Internet to communicate with family and friends.

Bottom line—it’s more important to provide options. This generation of retirees is not retiring from careers where the use of technology was primarily only used in the tech department or where executives ran conglomerates and never had to use the Internet. Instead, like Ken, many of them, inspired by their own career ambitions, have become adept at using technology as a means to communicate.

About rosecoveredglasses

2 Tours in US Army Vietnam. Retired from 36 Years in the Defense Industrial Complex after working on 25 major weapons systems, many of which are in use today in the Middle East. Volunteer MicroMentor. I specialize in Small, Veteran-owned, Minority-Owned and Woman-Owned Businesses beginning work for the Federal Government. MicroMentor is a non-profit organization offering free assistance to small business in business planning, operations, marketing and other aspects of starting and successfully operating a small enterprise. You can set up a case with me at MicroMentor by going to: http://www.micromentor.org/ key words: "Federal Government Contracting"

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