Category Archives: internet

Loneliness is not a bug with a technological solution

May 28, 2014   Carers, disability, Featured Article, internet, Social care
Helping elderly people to use the internet is a good idea. But let’s not mistake broadband connections for social ones

Shar

‘Anyone who has spent time with elderly people knows the real issues are much more complex.’

In the UK, four out of 10 over-65s do not have internet access. At a time when so much of our lives is conducted online – the payment of bills, access to information – that should be a real source of concern about potential social exclusion.

But does this mean that by widening internet access, elderly people will feel more socially connected? Or, even, more radically, as a new report suggests, could this be a solution for loneliness in old age?

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What's the simplest way to get a non-technical person online?

April 6, 2014   Carers, internet

Lynda wants to get her sister-in-law online, but she’s over 70, has no experience of modern technology, and lives on her own a long way away

 
How can my sister-in-law watch her grandchild grow up?

My sister-in-law would like to be able to watch her grandchild grow up. She is over 70 and has no experience of modern technology, and lives on her own a long way from us. There is no friendly IT person nearby.

We know this is going to be difficult, but what would be the simplest forms of technology to buy for her to use? We were thinking of buying two smartphones, so we could help her as best we could by having the same phone. I also thought we could buy her a tablet so we could Skype and she could see photos in large format. We use a laptop and I have an old iPhone. Lynda

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Digital healthcare revolution relies on new form of tablet

March 31, 2014   Carers, internet, Older care, telecare
A new health initiative for elderly people is being rolled out

By Western Daily Press  |  Posted: March 31, 2014

 

 

The internet could spark a home health care revolution – and it’s being planned in the West Country.

A group of health professionals, ‘telehealth’ equipment makers, care providers and older people, are working together to see how tablet computers can be used as hubs to monitor vital health information, and reduce isolation.

But with figures from the Office of National Statistics showing that 6.7 million adults in the UK have never used the internet, 547,000 of them in the South West, more needs to be done to help people understand the internet and get online.

Today (monday)sees the launch of Spring Online, one of the year’s biggest digital inclusion campaigns, run in association with Carphone Warehouse. Free internet taster events will be available all week, including Saturday at libraries, cafes, community centres, shops, churches and housing estates across the country.

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