Roseburg Man Uses Technology to Help Grandparents Up Their Game

Grandparents Day is Sunday, but Grandparents Academy is celebrating all week. This year, Grandparents Academy is launching "Grandparents Week" - a full week celebrating and equipping grandparents with insights shared by world-class experts and thought leaders on becoming a more influential and cherished grandparent. When Aaron Larsen graduated from college on the eve of the great recession, he went to live with his grandmother while he looked for a job. Later, he moved in with another set of grandparents to care for his grandfather. He saw the value of the relationships with his grandparents and saw a need from other grandparents to learn how to connect. In 2011, he created GrandparentsAcademy.com, a place to help grandparents learn how to develop meaningful relationships and rich legacies with their loved ones, regardless of the distance. “What I learned leading up to and during those 'Grand School' years from my grandparents has been invaluable in my life,” Larsen said. “I'm blessed to have intentional grandparents who have poured into me over the years (and still do)." “How to stay connected with grandkids” has nearly 16 million results from a Google search. Distance between where family members live has been shown by research to be the strongest predictor of grandparent-grandchild contact. Grandparents who do not see their grandchildren as much as they would like cite distance as one of the primary reasons. Grandparents are often teased online about not having an affinity for technology, but 115.3 million of Facebook users are 65 years old and above which makes up 5.3% of Facebook’s total ad audience. The website provides grandparents with a variety of resources including downloadable guides, online courses, and positive and fun social media posts that spark conversations with family online. The resources have served millions of grandparents all over the world. The lineup for Grandparents Week includes a dozen speakers including New York Times #1 Bestselling Authors, the inventor of the LeapPad, an internationally recognized expert on grandparent alienation, and others. The topics they cover range from nurturing strong and meaningful bonds from a distance, to cooking healthy with grandkids, creating a photo legacy, and much more! There is something for every grandparent. To make it as accessible as possible, Larsen has made General Admission free for all who register. All interviews are made available to watch virtually from the comfort of your home. It launches on Sunday, September 11 (National Grandparents Day) and continues until Saturday, September 17. Registration is open now and can be completed online at www.grandparentsweek.com.