According the National Institute on Aging, the number of older adults who use the internet today is rapidly increasing. A recent survey showed that in the last five years, the number of senior users on the internet has increased by more than 55%. Creating a website with a simple design allows seniors to more easily navigate around your web page.

Another fun benefit of making your website senior-friendly is that you can actually help seniors counteract many age-related changes, including a decrease in cognitive abilities such as working memory, perceptual speed, text comprehension, attentional functioning, and spatial memory. The National Institute on Aging provides some key tips for making your website senior friendly, a few examples are provided below:

• Use 12 or 14 point type size and make it easy for users to enlarge text: Although Arial is the most common used font, Verdana and Tahoma are fonts that were specifically developed for the screen.
• Break information into short sections: Providing a small amount of content makes it easier for seniors to grasp and remember the information.
• Minimize the use of jargon and technical terms: Written material that is not straightforward and to the point can be extremely difficult for seniors to comprehend. The content needs to be as specific as possible and must be eliminated of any distractions.
• Limit the number of points you make: Keeping your information brief allows web users to stay focused. Try limiting your messages from one to five per section.

To see a copy of this article and view more key tips on creating a senior-friendly website, visit the Society of Certified Senior Advisors (SCSA) at www.csa.us/FreeResources. SCSA provides free resources and tools for our members as an ongoing commitment to helping professionals understand the complex and dynamic lives of senior citizens today.

For more information about health and aging, contact the National Institute on Aging by visiting their website at www.nia.nih.gov or by contacting them toll-free at 800-222-2225.

ABOUT SCSA. SCSA was established in 1997 to enhance education and standards among professionals working with senior citizens. SCSA’s mission is to educate professionals to work more effectively with their senior clients. We believe that the right kind of planning, recommendations and referrals can make aging a state to be savored instead of a fate to fear. For those who work with seniors, this means understanding the key health, social and financial factors that are important to seniors—and how these factors work together. CSAs are able to integrate this into their professional practices, no matter what field they’re in. They’ve learned how incredibly gratifying it is to help seniors achieve their goals, and the seniors they’ve worked with have learned how important it is to work with someone who truly understands their age-related circumstances.