During the Covid-19 crisis we have been focusing on making sure members are not excluded because they don’t have access to the internet. This page is a collection of the work we and our partners have been doing on Bridging the Digital Divide.
The Ageing Better Programme came together to produce this report, which highlights the complexities and range of reasons which prevent some older people from accessing the digital world. The report considers financial and socio-economic barriers, and the sliding scale of skill, knowledge and confidence when using IT. It also suggests ways to support older people to get online (if they want to!) and the meaningful ways it could improve their lives. In approaching this work, it is important to consider where each individual identifies on the spectrum of digital skills and attitudes.
Supporting people to get online
Supporting people offline
Voices of older people
A Resource Pack for Voluntary and Community Organisations
The purpose of this resource pack is to offer support and guidance to Voluntary and Community Organisations who work with older people who would like to get online or gain more technology skills.
third age project getting members online
85% of Third Age Project (TAP) service users live alone and over 60% aren’t connected to the internet. During lockdown a majority were required to self-isolate due to being in high risk categories and thus became acutely isolated. Here, TAP tell us how they supported service users to get online, access online shopping, join activities and reconnect with family & friends during lockdown.
Read about their learningthird age project getting members online
85% of Third Age Project (TAP) service users live alone and over 60% aren’t connected to the internet. During lockdown a majority were required to self-isolate due to being in high risk categories and thus became acutely isolated. Here, TAP tell us how they supported service users to get online, access online shopping, join activities and reconnect with family & friends during lockdown.
henna asian women’s group: options for everyone
Henna Asian Women’s Group continue their ‘Art, Freedom and Creativity’ group for older South Asian women both online via Zoom and by posting out activity packs for those not online. Henna secured tablets and set them up so that users could now have access to the internet.
Click here to find out more about their work.
ways to connect & tutorials
We pulled together a range of free guides, online courses and volunteer support to help you get to grips with tools like email, Skype, Zoom and search tools to help you get connected, do online shopping and banking, and find information. If you work with older people, please do print and post these guides to those who may find them helpful!
Click here for the full list of resources.
TELECONFERENCING social clubs
Teleconferencing has been an important and useful tool to engage with our members who are not online, and allowing people to get together in a group. We have created a guide to getting started with teleconferencing groups.
Read our teleconferencing guide →
taking our older people’s advisory group online & via teleconference
We have taken to running the monthly meeting of our Older People’s Advisory Group in two formats - on Zoom for those with online access, and via teleconferencing for those who want to take part by phone.
Learning from a digital usage survey with members of the ABC Older People’s Advisory Group (OPAG)
Rather than a simple online/offline divide, this briefing highlights the spectrum of digital use and need within the group, and the varied types of support needed.
Click here to read the briefing.
valuable not vulnerable: How we are Co-producing in a Crisis
In this blog for Age Better Sheffield, we talk about how the older people of Camden are supporting each other through a member-led network, demonstrating that they are indeed our greatest asset.
OLDER PEOPLE’S VOICES: “THIS TIME HAS MEANT THAT I HAVE LEARNED SOME NEW DIGITAL SKILLS”
Our members have been writing a weekly newsletter for one another, to keep informed and connected in these challenging times. It has also brought us all closer together as we share our personal experiences of lockdown. Here, Kate Harwood shares her experiences.
OLDER PEOPLE’S VOICES: “we have been writing and performing a soap over zoom”
Our members have been writing a weekly newsletter for one another, to keep informed and connected in these challenging times. It has also brought us all closer together as we share our personal experiences of lockdown. Here, Kate Harwood shares her experiences.
we are ageing better member survey
We Are Ageing Better brings people over 60 in St Pancras and Somers Town together to share their skills and expertise to create great projects & changes in the community. As an ABC partner they did a survey about internet use among members and this is what they found.