Digital inclusion
Millions of seniors are comfortable with technology, most often using it as a tool to
keep in touch with family and friends and to monitor health. Jorge Luis Falcón,
head of a health care centre in Buenos Aires, told local paper La Nación that a high
percentage of middle class seniors use
social networks. Madhuri Eunni, CEO
of smart kitchen product company SKE
Labs, stresses that the best technology
creates a good intuitive experience: “An
80-year-old guy looks at a smartphone
now and thinks that’s the natural way to
talk to and keep in touch with his
grandchildren,” she told Digital Trends.
Specialist website SeniorCareCorner.com, a resource for US family caregivers, says
that seniors also see social networks as a way to obtain discounts on their purchases.
Games and other computer programmes are also regarded as “mental gymnasiums”
to keep minds sharp. More than a third of over-65s use technology to monitor
wellbeing, according to the UK Digital Health Report from video consultation service
PushDoctor.co.uk, reported the Daily Mail in October.