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Digital Skills for Older People

Theme 1: Digital Inclusion. Digital Skills for Older People. Susan Easton Susan.easton@niace.org.uk. What is digital inclusion?. The following factors contribute to the digital divide: Access to equipment / connections Skills, confidence and capability to use information technologies

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Digital Skills for Older People

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  1. Theme 1: Digital Inclusion Digital Skills for Older People Susan Easton Susan.easton@niace.org.uk

  2. What is digital inclusion? The following factors contribute to the digital divide: • Access to equipment / connections • Skills, confidence and capability to use information technologies • Attitude • Use of technologies

  3. Why? • 8.73 million adults in the UK have never used the Internet, representing 17.4 per cent of the adult population, with over 65s making up 65% of this group. • Use of the internet can bring older people financial and wellbeing benefits, lifelong learning opportunities and independence. Ref 1: Internet Access Quarterly Update 2011, Office for National Statistics Ref2: Getting ON; A Manifesto for Older People in a Networked Nation, June 2011, Race Online 2012

  4. Get Digital As 21% of the over 65 age group in England live in social housing, older people living in sheltered accommodation make up a substantial proportion of the digitally excluded population. NIACE and Digital Unite delivered the Get Digital programme on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), funded by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). ‘To create a compelling, sustainable model for embedding digital literacy for older people in sheltered housing ‘at source’ giving landlords and other service providers cost effective ways of integrating digital literacy provision into their core service offering to older residents, and their staffing and organisational structures.’

  5. Benefits • For landlords • For staff • For residents • For communities

  6. Benefits for landlords • Market advantage. • Marketing tool • Cost effective communication. • Resident empowerment. • Support for equality and diversity. • Strengthen links with community - partnerships and associations • Awards and recognition. • Increased customer satisfaction. Potential • Increased access and opportunities via Choice based lettings. • Potential cost savings through online transactional services • Improved education, health and wellbeing information and awareness of residents. • Good practice for audit commission inspections.

  7. Benefits for staff Increased job satisfaction, widened horizons and increased motivation through: • Increased communications between scheme staff and residents. • Increased confidence in use of ICT. • Increased communication between scheme staff and other schemes. • Increased landlord contact. • Reduced workload.

  8. Benefits for residents • Changed attitude to computers and the internet • Social benefits • Changed attitude to learning • Increased consumer and resident empowerment. • Increased access to public services • improved health management. • Better communication with landlords, staff, friends and families.

  9. Digital by Default • Increasing numbers of local and central government services online • Older people key service users. Ensuring older people can go online is essential so they have continued access.

  10. Barriers • Affordability • Lack of training and support. • Literacy difficulties • Some disabilities • Low confidence • Recognition of the relevance of ICT to individuals’ lives • Functional capability – what people do with technology

  11. Motivation • Easier and better communications with family and friends. • Developing ICT skills for their own sake. • Helping to pursue hobbies and interests. • Finding out about public services. • Saving money. • Keeping up-to-date with technology and with the younger generation • Digital by default

  12. Models Access to equipment and connectivity alone is unlikely to be enough to foster digital inclusion. In addition, you should ensure: • All residents can participate • Support from scheme staff • Support from landlords • Resident engagement and inspiration • Effective and relevant resident training • Support for residents’ learning • Residents’ ownership of the programme • Planning a sustainable programme

  13. Access to hardware and connectivity • Wired/WIFI installed in residents’ rooms • Using residents’ laptop at WIFI hotspots (e.g. in residents’ lounge) • Computers installed in a communal facility • Off-site arrangements e.g. local library or Age UK centre

  14. Support from scheme staff • Equipment • Liaison with residents • Training timetables • Coordinate technical support • Direct technical support • Attendance at learning sessions • Promotion • Special events • Press and media • Resident learning. • Training facilities • Organising transport • Health and Safety • Volunteer coordination

  15. All residents can participate • Wheelchair access • Strong tables • Large print keyboards • Adaptive technology - assessed on an individual basis. • Assisted access.

  16. Support from landlords • Supported and encouraged resident involvement. • Offered additional resources • Active support for scheme staff.

  17. Resident engagement • “Get Enthused” sessions • Digital coffee mornings • Digital ambassadors

  18. Residents’ training • Session 1: Getting started: Start and shut down, using the mouse, working with windows, using the keyboard. • Session 2: Keeping in touch: Email, more about email, attachments, Skype • Session 3: Surfing the web: What is a browser, internet favourites, searching the web, more about google. • Session 4: Safety when online: Stay safe online, choose a good password, be safe using email, safe shopping, safe social networking. • Session 5: Word Processing: The word window, starting a document, moving around a document, selecting text, changing text layout, changing text shape, copy and paste, spell check, printing, more tools. • Session 6: Greeting Cards: Greeting cards choose a card, personalising, formatting text, using photos, printing, saving. • Session 7: Digital photos: Download digital photos, view digital photos, print digital photos.

  19. Support for residents • Get Digital schemes made links with external organisations and recruited volunteers from a wide range of organisations, which helped support and develop resident skills. • Trained tutors offered further training • In a project by Essex Unite, a mix of trained tutors and volunteers continued a programme of regular sessions after the initial formal learning was complete. • Peer support

  20. Residents’ ownership • Resident committees • Choice and ownership • Digital Ambassadors • Computer Clubs • Computer Caretakers

  21. Sustainability • Sustainability through partnership • Organisation planning • Financial sustainability • Increased service charges for residents. • Residents’ pay as you go internet access. • Landlord funding through community development/resident involvement budget • Fundraising activities • Community hub revenue • External funding, such as The Big Lottery, Heritage Lottery and Access for All; local and national trusts, foundations and charities.

  22. Conclusion As more landlords address the digital inclusion needs of their residents and as technology use in the housing sector becomes increasingly pervasive, those who do not are in danger of being left behind and marginalised in a competitive market.

  23. What do you think? • How could landlords plan for their residents’ digital inclusion? • How could we apply the lessons learned in this project to other contexts? • How can we best support digital inclusion for older people? • How should this be delivered?

  24. Support • Resources: As part of the programme, Get Digital toolkits were developed in partnership with sector representatives, staff and residents. These materials are freely available for use under a Creative Commons license at http://getdigital.org.uk/resources/register/get-digital-learner-materials/ • Technology: There are many free and low cost kit and support options out there for charities. More at http://raceonline2012.org/sites/default/files/resources/free_and_low-cost_ict_help_for_charities.pdf. • In particular Charities Technology Trust and their service securing cheap Microsoft software licenses for charities.  

  25. Support •  Volunteers: Race online can promote national opportunities in the digital champions newsletter and at http://champions.go-on.co.uk/ways-to-be-a-digital-champion/volunteer • Local opportunities should go on the Do It database. Upload via volunteer bureau and it’s free. • This page on Do It explains how to get volunteers http://www.do-it.org.uk/partners • Opportunities registered with a volunteer bureau will appear on Do It for free. • Get Digital film: http://www.youtube.com/niacehq#p/u/17/7vqlNNSnJlM • Business plan: Susan.easton@niace.org.uk • Evaluation: On NIACE website www.niace.org.uk

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