The aim of Care & Repair is to enable clients to remain safely and independently in their own homes. Part of the service we offer is for caseworkers to visit clients at home - many of whom are socially isolated, live in rural areas or where there is limited public transport. Some find it difficult to get out and about and rely on family and friends for support, and other clients’ families and friends live too far away to be able to offer the support needed. However, many of the things our clients find harder to do can all be done online - shopping, chatting to family and friends, sending and receiving photos.
Not everyone wants to be online! However, often people are unaware of the benefits or just need extra support to get online. Sometimes the cost of getting online can also be a major barrier.
It is important that we as caseworkers help clients to understand how the internet can be relevant in their everyday lives. One way we do this is by explaining how convenient the internet is. Like all my colleagues across Wales, I use an iPad for work as part of the Care & Repair myPad project. This means I can show clients the benefits of using digital technology and explain the importance of being ‘digitally included’. Once clients see how easy the tablets are to use, it breaks down one of the biggest barriers – the fear of using IT.
I explain how money can be saved by shopping online, as many items are cheaper and price comparison websites can help find the best deals. Some of my clients now order their prescriptions online, have shopping delivered, and speak with family and friends. Some have contact with their social and church groups (through Skype and face time), and use social networking sites to keep in touch and to learn new skills. One client is doing a degree course online, others download reading and audio books, some do their banking online and many enjoy games and puzzles.
The majority of these new skills also improve the client’s self-esteem, confidence and wellbeing, and ultimately help to reduce a feeling of social isolation.
Beverley Evans
Caseworker, Blaenau Gwent Care & Repair
Watch our video for Care & Repair Week here. Helping nannies and grampies all over Wales!
Showing posts with label internet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label internet. Show all posts
Friday, 21 February 2014
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
'Just Google it!'
How quickly have those three words become part of our everyday conversations, and how often do we say them? For so many of us the use of IT, being online and using the internet is just a part of our everyday lives, yet for so many older people it is a real fear. Resent research has shown that only 39% of people over 65 have accessed the internet once in their lives.
So why do older people have a real fear of IT? For some it’s the fear of 'breaking it', of being 'hacked' and of giving out their personal details. For others it’s the language used and for many it's simply not understanding what the internet is for and how they could benefit from getting online. 'I’ve managed all my life without it so why bother now?'
But bother they should.
Being online for older people can literally help them improve their lives and wellbeing. We are an ageing society, where more and more older people find themselves living alone. According to Sarah Rochira, The Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, loneliness in older age is a real issue affecting many, and a 'growing epidemic'. The internet can help us keep in touch with family and friends - we can email, text, Skype or Facebook, make new friends and re-connect with old ones. It can help us keep connected to the world and allows us to contribute to society, whatever our age.
The cost of equipment is often perceived as being prohibitive by older people yet the financial saving that can be made from researching the best prices and buying online can be very cost effective. Being digitally included means you are not financially excluded. For older people, many living on low incomes, using the internet can save them money.
Whether we like it or not, IT is playing an increasing part in all our lives and older people should not be excluded. Care & Repair caseworkers are seen as trusted advisers by their clients, which is why we joined with Communities 2.0 to deliver the MyPad project. Giving caseworkers an iPad to use while visiting our clients in their own homes allows them to show how easy it is to use the internet; the benefits that can be gained and what can be done online, from shopping to booking cinema tickets to emailing grandchildren in Australia to checking the bus timetable.
IT has real benefits for older people and we all need to encourage them and help them to get online. I know it is a real cliché but, you’re never too old to learn. That includes learning how to 'Google it'!
Vera Brinkworth
Head of Learning and Enterprise, Care & Repair Cymru
So why do older people have a real fear of IT? For some it’s the fear of 'breaking it', of being 'hacked' and of giving out their personal details. For others it’s the language used and for many it's simply not understanding what the internet is for and how they could benefit from getting online. 'I’ve managed all my life without it so why bother now?'
But bother they should.
Being online for older people can literally help them improve their lives and wellbeing. We are an ageing society, where more and more older people find themselves living alone. According to Sarah Rochira, The Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, loneliness in older age is a real issue affecting many, and a 'growing epidemic'. The internet can help us keep in touch with family and friends - we can email, text, Skype or Facebook, make new friends and re-connect with old ones. It can help us keep connected to the world and allows us to contribute to society, whatever our age.
The cost of equipment is often perceived as being prohibitive by older people yet the financial saving that can be made from researching the best prices and buying online can be very cost effective. Being digitally included means you are not financially excluded. For older people, many living on low incomes, using the internet can save them money.
Whether we like it or not, IT is playing an increasing part in all our lives and older people should not be excluded. Care & Repair caseworkers are seen as trusted advisers by their clients, which is why we joined with Communities 2.0 to deliver the MyPad project. Giving caseworkers an iPad to use while visiting our clients in their own homes allows them to show how easy it is to use the internet; the benefits that can be gained and what can be done online, from shopping to booking cinema tickets to emailing grandchildren in Australia to checking the bus timetable.
IT has real benefits for older people and we all need to encourage them and help them to get online. I know it is a real cliché but, you’re never too old to learn. That includes learning how to 'Google it'!
Vera Brinkworth
Head of Learning and Enterprise, Care & Repair Cymru
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)