Seniors Digital Literacy
““In the elderly man, the persistence of curiosity of mind and openness to the world is a sign of lasting youth.””
Konrad Lorenz
Digital literacy project helps fight loneliness
The pandemic highlighted and aggravated the physical and social isolation that drastically affects the lives of the elderly. Access to technology has become fundamental, promoting the coexistence of the population, countering possible levels of low self-esteem, while at the same time developing the sense of active citizenship.
The Municipality of Valongo implemented the ASA 4.0 digital literacy project, aimed at seniors. The municipality invested in the acquisition of 800 tablets, given to all those enrolled in the senior academies.
This project is the result of a partnership established between the City Council of Valongo, Altice and jp.ik, who developed a technological solution designed with the elderly in mind, ensuring the digital integration of the population, through the equipment and guaranteed connectivity anywhere.
According to José Manuel Pereira Ribeiro, Mayor of Valongo, “this project aims to support senior care institutions in the development of leisure activities, alerting to the need for greater involvement of families and the preservation of their health”.
The digital integration of seniors will thus boost and improve their quality of life, making them part of the cultural and social evolution of society, promoting an occupation of their free time, with specific content for their introduction to social networks that allow them to fight isolation.
Jorge Sá Couto, Chairman of jp.ik, states that “the tablet was developed with the senior public in mind, presenting a simple and robust appearance that invites fearless handling, even for the most inexperienced.
The software was designed to meet the needs, specifics and interests of seniors and uses an adjusted font that is easy to read. It also includes a set of applications organized by categories that allow quick and easy access to them. All scientifically based cognitive applications and games have been properly chosen and tested to ensure quality, applicability and easy usability”.
The ASA Program “We believe in Active Seniors” was designed to promote the maintenance of the senior population’s abilities, skills and dexterity, motivating them to live an active, participative, solidary, critical and useful life for their social environment.
According to the 2011 Census, it is estimated that in Portugal there are 2.023 million people aged 65 or over, representing about 19% of the total population and that more than 1 million live alone or with other elderly people. Healthy aging emphasizes an approach that recognizes the rights to equal opportunity and treatment.
