Older People’s Day Friday, October 1, 2010 - 10:04

Only half of people aged over 55, around one in three of those over 65 and one in four of those over 75 years have online access at home, meaning that they miss out on a wide range of benefits that the Internet offers. These benefits include reducing loneliness and isolation, improving management of long-term conditions and illness and increasing mental well-being and financial and social inclusion.

NIACE and Digital Unite are helping older people in sheltered housing to gain access to these benefits, by delivering the Get Digital programme, funded by the Department of Work and Pensions. Get Digital has already funded 104 schemes across the country and will fund a total of 195 schemes, by the end of March 2011. NIACE will also produce a website and toolkits which will be accessible to all sheltered housing schemes, to help them to introduce similar programmes.

In order to identify the benefits gained by the older people, schemes and landlords, NIACE is currently evaluating the project. Residents, scheme managers, tutors and community partners are being surveyed to gain detailed insights into the experiences of all of those involved.

Findings from the survey NIACE conducted with residents before they started the programme showed that:

• only one third had ever used a computer before, with fewer than a quarter confident to use email; yet
• three-quarters agree that the internet makes life easier (72 per cent) and that the internet is efficient for finding information (75 per cent), and two-thirds agree that the internet helps people to stay in touch (67.5 per cent).

Most residents surveyed were keen to learn, however, those who had previously sought help from family and friends or attended computing courses and one-off sessions, had experienced difficulties. These difficulties - like the pace of learning, opportunities to practice between sessions and on-going support - seem to have been successfully addressed by Get Digital.

Dr Sara Bosley, NIACE Research Officer, said:

"Residents identified benefits from accessing the Internet and were particularly keen to improve their links with family and friends, find information, pursue their interests and save money."

"So far NIACE's findings suggest that access to the Internet could be a powerful way of enabling older people to improve and maintain their wellbeing, especially their social inclusion and support their independence. The findings also suggest that many older people will need considerable support and encouragement to develop their confidence and digital literacy skills."