𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Some 2.4 million older people are at risk of being left behind in an increasingly digital world, a charity has warned. Age UK said nearly one in five older people (19%) have limited interaction with the internet – using it less than once a month or not at all.

Londoner Sue, 73, suffers with very poor eyesight which makes middle-distance focus almost impossible.  She cannot use computers or smartphones, which leaves her feeling excluded.  

She said: “Everything is online these days. Trying to deal with some local authorities is an absolute nightmare if you don’t have people around you who can do it for you. I shouldn’t have to do that. I shouldn’t have to give someone my personal information. I want to be treated equally.”

Age UK will on Wednesday deliver a 170,000 strong petition to No 10 Downing Street insisting that the Government “make sure older people are not left behind”.

The charity is concerned that a “digital first” approach, with insufficient offline alternatives available and a lack of opportunities to support those who want to go online to do so, will see older people struggling to manage their own finances and healthcare as they age.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “It’s clear that technology is set to transform many aspects of our lives for the better over the next decade, including the delivery of healthcare and how we interact with the NHS.   

“The potential of the NHS App for example, is truly exciting, but we must also ensure that no one is left behind, including the many millions of older people who are not online and who often want and need to use more traditional means of communication, such as telephone and face to face.   

“Through our petition, older people who aren’t able or choose not to be online told us they were deeply worried about being locked out of the essential services they depend on. Some said that they felt belittled and unfairly bullied into going online and that this, plus a frequent failure on the part of organisations of all kinds to offer them easily accessible alternatives, was positively ageist. Whether you agree with that or not, there’s no doubt in our minds at Age UK that a poorly planned and delivered transition to digital by default would pose very real risks to the health, wellbeing, finances and inclusion of millions of older people: for their sake above all we have to get it right.”

She added: “For the foreseeable future there will be a need for good offline alternatives and the Government must ensure they are put in place in every essential service on which older people rely.

 “There’s also a need for a complete step-change in our efforts to encourage and support more people of all ages to go online, if they wish to do so.”

A Government spokesman said: “We recognise that older people are more likely to be digitally excluded, which is why through our Digital Inclusion Action Plan we are ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital age, whatever their age. Under the Plan, major companies are helping people to get online and are donating pre-loved tech to those who need it.  

“We are clear that digital public services need to be accessible – meaning there should always be alternative options like over the phone or in-person support, for those that need it. We also welcome action industry have taken to ensure 99% of the UK now has access to a range of social broadband and mobile tariffs, starting from as low as £10 per month.”