The importance of digital skills cannot be underestimated for older people. From connecting and communicating easily with the world around, to improving health and mental wellbeing, learning, self-help, and social opportunities; essential digital skills are vital to participate fully in the modern world. Over the previous year we have witnessed concerns raised by family and friends, as well as social care agencies, about the lack of access to socially essential services and the isolation many older residents faced because they were not online. In the post Covid world we
now live where even greater number of organisations and agencies are online we have currently a high number of older people expressing an interest of wanting to break free from the constraints of being offline, where the focus is on their personal circumstances and context. To address this, we have drop-in sessions geared up to audiences such as older people where they can share and exchange online health & wellbeing material while addressing the desire to make new friends alongside learning basic digital skills.
This approach does work well, from information feedback from those I am aware of having been involved with this service.