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Elderly
get a taste of the net BBC,
May 13, 2003
Age
Concern is offering free net taster sessions in a bid to help older people
overcome any worries they have about using web browsers and e-mail. Net-savvy
older folks will be on hand during the sessions to help novices and offer
advice. The
sessions will be available at 75 locations around the UK. Lost
opportunity
Net
use statistics show that the web is very much a young person's plaything. The
figures reveal that although 62% of British people have tried the
internet, only 15% of Britons aged 65 or over have been online. "While
older people potentially stand to benefit most from the internet, they are
less likely than younger age groups to get online," said Gordon
Lishman, Director General, Age Concern. The
charity said older people were reluctant to get to grips with the internet
because of the potential cost, their unfamiliarity with computers and
sometimes because of hand and vision difficulties.
Age
Concern is running a month-long campaign to teach older people about the
net and to get them surfing the net and sending e-mail. The
Silver Surfers Festival aims to give older people hands-on training and
show them how they can use the web to research family history, find out
about local events and communicate with friends. "Participation
in the internet revolution is an important factor in the full social
inclusion of older people," said Mr Lishman, "particularly as
more public services go online." Older
people will be able to get their free first taste of the net at 75
locations across the UK. One
man who has already become a web convert is 62-year-old Terry Pearson, a
wheelchair-user who is paralysed from the neck down. He usually relies on
carers for support for shopping and for getting out and about. Since
finding out about the net via Age Concern's Computer Explorer bus in
Staffordshire, Mr Pearson has bought his own PC and goes online from home.
"My
two sons are surprised that I have taken to computers so easily," he
said. "I
was apprehensive before I tried, but using a computer to look up websites
and contact friends is easier than you think," he added. Age Concern
is staging the campaign with the help of UK Online, Cable and Wireless and
Microsoft. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
