Nearly 20,000
people living in sheltered housing will be switched on to the
internet under £2.9m plans being developed by the Government to
boost the number of silver surfers, Communities Minister Lord
McKenzie and Minister for Pensions and the Ageing Society Angela
Eagle announced today.
With two thirds of those over the age of 65 in sheltered housing
without online access, the new 'Get Digital'
programme will help them become internet savvy and enjoy the wider
social and economic benefits of the digital world.
'Get Digital' – to be delivered on the
Government's behalf by the National Institute of Adult
Continuing Education (NIACE) and Digital Unite - will provide
residents with access to computers and the training they need to
make the most of the new technology on offer. Local schools will
also link up with sheltered housing schemes so that young and old
can learn together.
Digital Unite's experience
on previous programmes suggests that learning digital skills can
transform the lives of older people in sheltered housing, bringing
residents together as they discover new shared interests and
passions.
Alongside the huge social benefits, more and more services are
going online so the new programme will mean that the thousands in
sheltered housing are not isolated and left behind.
By the end of March 2011, Get Digital will:
work with 195 sheltered housing schemes nationwide, including 81
schemes in rural areas providing around 7,800 residents internet
access;extend internet access to a further 300 schemes and up to
20,000 residents in total;develop communal IT facilities in
sheltered housing schemes making technology easily accessible to
the 600,000 people who live in sheltered housing as well as others
in the local community;provide resources including expert Scheme
Support tutors to boost computer literacy. Fear of fraud and
online jargon are cited as barriers to older people going online.
The training on offer will increase their confidence using the
web;promote and support 'Get Digital
partnerships' between sheltered housing and local schools
and other groups of young people for 'intergenerational
learning activities'. This work is intended to develop
greater trust between younger and older people and it is hoped
that this will lead to a decrease in fear of young people in a
neighbourhood – something acknowledged to be a main source of
insecurity for older people; andprovide a wide range of support
materials for Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) to enable them to
set up and sustain facilities for residents. This will include
advice and guidance on appropriate equipment and connectivity,
free training and resources for residents, extensive advice and
guidance on working with local organisations to sustain digital
literacy activities and Small grants to set up communal PC
facilities.
Communities Minister Lord McKenzie said:
"For thousands of people this programme could be truly
life changing. Older people who currently don't have
access to the internet miss out on the benefits that millions of
us enjoy everyday.
"Technology has changed so fast that it has left many
over 50s feeling left behind. This programme is about bridging the
digital divide. A little training will make going online a
possibility for everyone. The internet will make it easier for
people to keep in touch with their families, shop online and
access a wide range of services."
Angela Eagle, Minister for Pensions and the Ageing Society
said:
"Digital Services are an increasingly important part
of our society. Get Digital will help thousands of older people in
sheltered accommodation and rural areas become part of the digital
age.
"The project will work alongside the digital
inclusion taskforce helping older people benefit from internet
access and a new national network of digital mentors to give them
the skills and confidence to use the internet safely and effectively."
The Get Digital programme has the capacity to transform
individual and collective lives. It will build on the successful
work in this area already delivered by Get Digital partners,
illustrated by feedback from scheme managers in Somerset, Bristol
and Buckinghamshire (2009):
"The digital literacy programme for
residents has helped transform the atmosphere at this scheme.
There is always someone using the computers and people passing
by the door stop to chat and then get interested in what the
residents are up to and sometimes offer to help if
they're stuck.
"I believe it has enhanced the quality of
life for those who took part. We invited other supported housing
residents (members of our Sheltered Housing Group) to an open
day this year to evaluate the project and the feedback was
positive."
"One of the best comments I have had from
my most keen user is that it has been life
changing."
The cross-government initiative is part of the ongoing drive to
tackle social and digital exclusion and will involve close working
with housing organisations to both improve their delivery of
housing services as well as improving the lives of the older and
vulnerable people in their care.
Martha Lane Fox, Champion for Digital Inclusion said:
"More than 10 million adults across the UK have never
used the internet, and worryingly 4 million of this group are also
socially excluded. Of this group 39 per cent are over the age of
65 and missing out on the many opportunities and cost efficiencies
that the web has to offer.
"The 'Get Digital' project will give
older people in sheltered housing the skills to fully participate
in modern technology and it's exactly the right approach
to make sure one of the most digitally excluded groups are not
left behind."
Notes to Editors
1. For further information about the 'Get
Digital' Programme, please email: getdigital@niace.org.uk
2. NIACE and Digital Unite have worked together in this field for
many years, most notably on the Silver Surfers programme which
includes Silver Surfers Day in Adult Learners Week, the
UK's largest and longest running learning campaign. NIACE
and DU have also been involved in the Estelle Morris review of ICT
Skills that led to the development of Online Basics. Digital Unite
have over 7 years experience of delivery digital literacy
programmes within sheltered housing environments.
Silver Surfers' Day (SSD) is the biggest, and only,
annual, national campaign promoting the benefits of digital
literacy to older people. SSD has been running since 2002 and is
on the Friday of NIACE's Adult Learners Week in May. In
2010, SSD will be Friday May 21st.
3. The £2.9m funding will be used to set up facilities, provide
free training for residents, and ongoing advice and support for
housing associations.
4. The programme will be nation-wide and 195 schemes across the
country will have benefited from direct intervention and the Get
Digital training and support programme by March 2011. The
programme will include urban and rural areas. Get Digital will
work with landlords and other stakeholders to build the capacity
of the sheltered housing sector to ensure that the offer of
communal computer facilities is well integrated and supported by
advice on how to enable residents to work with other local groups
and agencies, as well as schools, on digital skills programmes.
5.Building Society for All Ages, the Government's
strategy to help Britain prepare for ageing society was published
in July 2009 – www.hmg.gov.uk/buildingasocietyforallages.
This included plans to improve access to digital technology for
older people.
6. A national network of digital mentors has been set up to give
those who are unfamiliar with new technology the skills they need
to use the internet. This is led by the Media Trust and is now
called Community Voices (www.mediatrust.org/communityvoices).
7. The Digital Inclusion Taskforce will help disadvantaged people
benefit from the new technologies and increase the number of
people who use the internet. Martha Lane Fox is the Champion for
Digital Inclusion, and Tom Wright, Chief Executive of Age Concern
and Help the Aged represents older people on the Taskforce.
Contacts:
Communities and Local Government Out of hours
Phone: 0303 444 1201
press.office@communities.gsi.gov.uk