Group Of Lakewood Seniors Gathers To Learn The Latest Technology

LAKEWOOD, N.J.(CBSNewYork) -- You are never too old to learn something new.

That's what seniors in a New Jersey retirement community showed CBS2's Meg Baker.

Marie Marcolla was given an iPad by her kids to they could talk daily while she is in New Jersey, but there was one major issue. She didn't know how to use it.

"I was in tears," she said.

Now, a group of Lakewood ladies is learning how to Skype, FaceTime, and use their new technology, and you may be surprised to see who their teacher is.

Students call him iHenry, but his real name is Henry Parcell. He doesn't have a tech background, but he is a problem solver, for himself and for a group of friends at Harrogate, a retirement Community that wants to learn to use touch screen devices on their own.

"If you have an interest and hobby it puts the brain in a position to feel young," he said.

Most are eager to learn the technology in order to keep up with family.

"I'm on Facebook a few times a day. my son insisted," Jan Shannon said.

"My kids New Providence, my grandkids all over Austin, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Seattle so this is a great way to keep in touch," Marie Marcolla said.

Parcell said it's a sharing environment, hands on learning is made more comfortable among peers. Rather than trying to learn it from a much younger grandchild that may just do it for them.

His advice to seniors was to click around themselves to learn. You have to try it yourself he said, social media is too hard to figure out if someone else does it for you.

"Not for me to tell people how to do it because they will walk out the door and forget," he said.

Parcell has become very popular.

"My wife says I'm a doctor on call, but I don't care. It's fun," he said.

The active learners said everyone should pick up an iPade and FaceTime their grandparents, and that they enjoyed learning from peers who know the virtue of patience.