What is the EU Doing to Help Seniors Access Modern Technology

The number of senior citizens (65 years old and above) is increasing in Europe, but surprisingly, many of them still don’t have access to digital technology or lack the necessary skills to navigate modern devices and the Internet.

The European Union is aware of this growing problem, and member states are encouraged to look seriously into it and widen the access to digital technology. At the same time, the European Union itself regularly funds projects which increase digital media literacy in the older population of countries all around the continent.

In today’s article, we are going to take a look into some of these projects, past and ongoing, and discuss how they can aid elderly citizens and make their lives fuller.

The Mobile Age Project

The Mobile Age project is a past EU program which had the clear idea to improve senior citizens’ knowledge of computer technology and the Internet. According to census data from 2017, 19.4% of the EU’s population was aged 65 or over, yet 45% of seniors between the ages of 65 and 74 used the Internet, and only 16% used social media.

As a result of this troublesome findings, the EU decided to invest around 3 million euros in the Mobile Age project which ran until January of 2019. The project was tested in four regions, South Lakeland, UK, Bremen, Germany, Zaragoza, Spain and Central Macedonia, Greece.

The most important goal of the program was to increase Internet access and literacy for older EU citizens, so they can access vital services online. Public administrations around the EU mean to be become more digitalised with poses the problem of accessibility in populations that lack digital skills, particularly senior citizens.

The Mobile Age program first surveyed senior citizens in the four participating regions to learn more about their digital media literacy and find out what kind of websites and applications they are more likely to use to access various government services, and exactly what government services they would like to be able to access.

Then, a team of experts, including many tech-savvy elderly citizens, started working on creating accessible government websites and mobile apps that could be used by seniors. Once the research stage ended, the project went on to develop said websites and apps.

The project managers hoped to make senior citizens more involved in open government initiatives and to also aid them into connecting with their local community. Test versions of the now-accessible sites and apps were soon released in the four participating regions.

Mobile Age managed to create digital city guides informing seniors of upcoming events and community meetings, as well as providing information regarding walking routes, benches, sports, and availability of public toilets.

The creators hope that this project could lead to future ones that focus on health advice and aid seniors in living more independent lives.

The SmartHome4SENIORS Project

Smart homes are the latest fad in home renovation as they provide an alternative to boring home chores.

Some believe that equipping the houses of senior citizens with smart home technology could be beneficial in the sense that they could lead more self-sufficient lives. The project SmartHome4SENIORS, co-funded by the European Union, means to do just that.

The project creators hope that this initiative will encourage elderly people to automatise their homes and consequently aid them in creating a daily routine that they can manage themselves without the necessity of having a round-the-clock carer.

The stated goals of the project include provision of education content on the topic, development of a personalised training application and a do-it-yourself (DIY) kit. The DIY kit is intended to help senior citizens install smart home devices in their residences and enhance them if necessary.

The DIY kit, along with the dedicated app, would teach customers new digital skills such as programing and hardware support, and would improve their problem-solving abilities, so they can live fully independent lives.

SmartHome4SENIORS started in December 2021 and is expected to end in June 2024.

E-engAGEd

The project e-engAGEd is brought to you by the European Commission through their Citizens, Equality, Rights and Value (CERV) program.

As the name suggests, the project targets specific age groups, though this time, it is intended both for older adults (50 and over) and young adults (18-25). It calls itself an Intergenerational Digital Engagement program which aims to boost participation in the European civic and political life.

The goal of the project is to specifically teach media literacy to older people, and thus prevent disinformation and improve digital citizenship and civic commitment. The e-engAGEd project has an interesting approach to achieving its goal – the participating young adults are tasked with helping senior citizen detect misinformation online and promoting active political participation and trust in the media.

The young mentors are expected to also gain something from participating in the program in regards to better understanding their senior counterparts and learning how to provide solutions for the betterment of their lives.

The program has duration of 23 months, running between December 2022 until November 2024.

Final Thoughts

It seems like the European Union cares about their elderly citizens and they mean to help them better navigate today’s busy world with the use of modern technology. We are curious to see what other projects they fund in the future.