Resident Helps Her Neighbors Stay Connected to Technology

A resident of North Shore Towers for 18 years, Elise Alarimo saw a need for computer-related assistance and, along with her father, has been working to fill that gap for 15 years.
Alarimo first moved to the Towers because of the prompting of her parents. When she finished college, she was going to look for a place in Manhattan. However, her father in particular insisted that she should instead look for an apartment at North Shore Towers.
“Since I grew up in Little Neck, as a small child they used to bring me here to watch the development and the building of the Towers,” Alarimo said. “[For] most of the residents in Little Neck and the surrounding areas here it was a very big thing at that time [to have] a high rise co-op building in a residential neighborhood to go up. We used to drive by here all the time.”
Not too long after she had moved in, Alarimo she saw a need for computer instruction. She said that a group of residents had been taking group lessons in the arcade but some grew frustrated because of the varying levels of ability. She said people began to lose interest in it, but soon people started asking her for help.
As Alarimo began assisting people with the educational aspects of using a computer, she brought her father Joe in to handle hardware support. Together the two formed E&J Computers.
Alarimo now specializes in senior instruction. She said that many times the seniors feel frustrated and embarrassed that they cannot keep up with technology and use it to communicate with their family and friends.
“They just feel lost,” she said. “And a lot of these people come from such a different generation that they really get such a thrill and gratification out of coming into this technological world.”
Some of the topics that Alarimo tackles during sessions include operating the computer system, using e-mailing, downloading attachments and viewing pictures. She said that for some, one of the most exciting things can be getting to see photos of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren that have been e-mailed to them.
So far, Alarimo said one of the great amounts of improvement she has witnessed is a person who began to learn how to use the computer following a stroke. Alarimo said that now the client has become an expert.
“I really like teaching seniors,” Alarimo said. “I find great satisfaction in that. I’ve never seen so many smiles. That just makes my day when I see them so happy.”
Aside from her work with E&J Computers, Alarimo has also worked for Greenthal Property Sales for the last five years. Along with being the marketing director, she has also begun selling real estate outside of the Towers through Greenthal.
Alarimo is available for computer lessons any time on Tuesdays and Thursdays, evenings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and on the weekends. She can be reached by calling 718-224-2332 or 516-263-6009.