While much of the rest of the world turned online, Price couldn't use her computer to stay connected with others. She tried using Zoom, but the video wouldn't load and she didn't know how to fix it.
"It was super lonely," Price said.
So she went into the Senior Center of West Seattle asking for help.
Technology has continued to become more critical to engage with other people. But many seniors never learned how to use the new tools, and can feel left behind by a fast-changing world.
Prolonged social isolation may shorten a person's lifespan by 15 years and has the equivalent health risk of smoking 15 cigarettes per day, according to the National Institute on Aging.
Sound Generations, which used to be called Senior Services, has operated in King County for more than 60 years and is the largest comprehensive services provider for older adults, adults with disabilities and caregivers in Washington state. It is one of 13 nonprofits benefiting from readers' donations to The Seattle Times Fund for Those in Need.
It manages six senior centers, including the one in West Seattle that Price walked into. The nonprofit focuses on four main concerns: food security, transportation, health and wellness, and assistance services.
Being able to use technology has become a key factor in seniors' health and wellness.
Sound Generations began a technology tutoring program during the pandemic in two of the centers for clients like Price. Demand has remained high with appointments booking weeks in advance.
West Seattle resident Joyce Hengesbach, 76, considers herself a more advanced technology user than most of her friends her age. For example, she says she turns off her computer at night to let it update automatically, something none of her friends know to do.
But when Hengesbach wanted to learn how to use a password manager, a way to keep track of all her passwords, she needed help. So she went to the Senior Center of West Seattle.
"It helps just managing the complex world we live in," Hengesbach said.
But funding remains a bottleneck for the program to expand.
The center's executive director, Amy Lee Derenthal, said there's only enough money to have the sessions two days a week. The center is looking for more funding to meet demand.
The program started when Sound Generations purchased laptops and tablets for seniors to keep them connected with loved ones during the pandemic. But staff learned that access to devices wasn't the main barrier. It was knowing how to use them.
The center didn't have a tutoring program at the time, so whichever staff member or volunteer was available would do their best to help when someone walked in with a question. But the demand was so steady, the center decided to formalize the lessons with scheduled appointments and a part-time staff member.
It's not a simple task to teach seniors how to use their phones and computers. The ones who come to the tutoring sessions in West Seattle say they've taken courses before and not gotten much help. The staff and volunteers in West Seattle say they've found a formula that works, based on patience and individualized attention.
Martin Piccoli leads the program. Every Thursday and Friday, Piccoli and a few volunteers help seniors in one-on-one sessions with whatever questions they have.
On a Thursday morning, Piccoli and another volunteer helped Hengesbach with her password manager and a half-dozen other questions she had come prepared to ask. How should she back up her documents and photos? Should she upgrade her computer's operating system to Windows 11?
Hengesbach said what is so helpful about what's offered at the senior center compared to other technology classes she's tried is that she can get help with the issues she is experiencing at the moment, with the help coming "just in time."
After building a stronger technology skillset, Hengesbach said she feels more resilient and competent.
Teaching someone what they need when they need it helps imprint the lesson into memory, says Piccoli.
The instructor doesn't have a technology-specific background, but he was an English teacher at Seattle Public Schools when tablets and other devices were introduced to classrooms. And he said what's more important in his current role is gentleness and patience because learning technology can be extremely stressful for seniors. After all, the stakes are usually high.
Seniors may need to learn how to use their phones so they can talk with their loved ones across the country, or to apply for housing and other services, or to attend classes at a college. These are essential tasks that often come with a deadline, and Piccoli said "that can be intense."
He also said seniors sometimes come into his class with a feeling of being abandoned by the rest of society as more and more daily functions move online. One person he was working with told Piccoli, "I just feel like I'm not the kind of person this world cares about anymore."
Those challenges are also what he said makes the work rewarding.
"Many times a day, a person is in a bind. And usually, at a high percentage, me and the volunteers get them out of that bind before the hour is over," Piccoli said.
With Piccoli's help, Price was able to start using Zoom video calls during the pandemic by adjusting her internet speed. She was able to talk with her children and grandchildren, take online exercise classes through her local YMCA, and participate in support groups for family members of people with dementia.
"Being able to connect others who have the same or similar issues going on helped a lot," Price said.
In the two years since, Piccoli and his volunteers have been serving 50 seniors a month, with people sometimes coming from Belltown or Capitol Hill.
Many people who come to the senior center looking for technology assistance end up staying for the community. From Scrabble games, to arts and crafts groups and exercise classes, there's something for everybody.
On a Tuesday afternoon, a group of nine seniors gathered in a circle on the top floor of the senior center. In the center were percussion instruments of all kinds from shakers to bongos and djembe drums.
They meet every week for a hand-drumming workshop. As people arrived, they picked up an instrument before taking their spot in the circle and chit-chatting with each other about upcoming travels. Then the instructor began the first exercise.
Going around the circle, each person would play a drum rhythm and repeat it, adding it to the collective song. At the teacher's instruction, everyone closed their eyes.
When she opened them, Cindy Jackson, 73, said she felt a rush of endorphins. She looks forward to these drum circles every week with a group of people she's developed a friendship with centered around music.
"As people age, sharing community, I think it validates who you are," Jackson said.
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