initiative | Best Practice Types | Ageing in the Digital Age

Senior citizens‘ offices

The Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Seniorenbüros e.V. (BaS) is the network of around 450 senior citizens’ offices in Germany. Senior citizens’ offices promote the voluntary engagement of older people and advocate for a good quality of life.

People over 50 are fitter, more active and more numerous today than at any time before. BaS plays a constructive role in shaping demographic change and provides impulses for senior citizens’ work. It stands for a realistic image of old age that is based on the potential of older people.

BaS advises local authorities and independent organisations on the establishment and further development of senior citizens’ offices and represents their interests at federal and state level. It offers advice, further training and specialist conferences and initiates projects that are implemented at the local level.

Professional support is provided in the senior citizens’ offices, including exchange of experience and appropriate framework conditions for volunteers and paying attention to a good culture of appreciation.

Many senior citizens’ offices offer help in the form of consultation hours on the Internet, PC meetings or counselling services by older people for older people. They are also committed to the digital and social participation of (n)onliners.

Source: https://seniorenbueros.org/

Access date: 01.06.2022

Digital study guide for older people (ViLE e.V.)

Virtual and Real Learning and Competence Network for Older Adults was founded in December 2002 by senior citizens and staff of further education institutions from all over Germany.

The network offers introductory courses in the technical basics of virtual learning, virtual literature circles, its own online newspaper for adults interested in further education (www.lerncafe.de), project and seminar work, workshops and travel offers in the sense of research-based travel. The members work together virtually and in real life, also in regional groups.

The association’s latest project is the production of an information brochure on educational opportunities for older people at universities: The “Digital Study Guide for All”.

Source: https://vile-netzwerk.de

Access date: 01.06.2022

Seniors Web

In 2017, the Seniorenweb (Seniors’ Web) association was founded in Vienna. The goal is to make the potential of digitalisation accessible to older people as well. Particularly in crisis or emergency situations (e.g. illness, need for care, immobility, etc.), digital mobility helps to:

maintain social contacts
take care of daily errands
maintain independence
create a daily structure
stay healthy

However, statistics show that in Austria, even in 2020, almost 550,000 people between the ages of 55 and 75 have never used the internet. As a society, it must therefore also be our obligation not to leave older people behind on the path of digitalisation, but to motivate and support them along the way.

Therefore, the association has made it its mission to promote the following:

digital education and counselling,
digital networking and
digital volunteering

The main pillars are:

Events (online and offline trainings, lectures, conversations)
Seniors’ portal

*Digital knowledge portal (training materials around smartphones, tablets and computer use from Austria, Germany and Switzerland).

Source: https://www.seniorenweb.org/

Access date: 13.05.2022

Fit4internet

The fit4internet initiative launched training courses for basic digital skills for the 60+ generation. A tailor-made offer to discover the possibilities of the mobile internet, to actively use it and to communicate with it in a modern way.

Smartphone, internet, online shops, official channels – mobility is no longer just a question of physical fitness. In order to be able to participate in social life in the digital age, seniors need digital competence – be it to stay in contact with acquaintances, family and friends, or to carry out everyday tasks in a self-determined way.

The initiative fit4internet kicked off with the taster course “Kaffee Digital” (Coffee Digital) for senior citizens. Professional trainers imparted the necessary basics in a cosy and casual atmosphere so that seniors without (much) experience in the digital world can safely take their first steps on the internet, with mobile phones & co – uncomplicated and free of charge.

In addition to “Kaffee Digital”, the explanatory videos on smartphone use on the website deserve special mention: https://www.fit4internet.at/view/digitale-lebenswelten

Source: https://www.fit4internet.at/page/home

Access date: 13.05.2022

Foundation for Digital Opportunities

Since its founding year in 2002, the Stiftung Digitale Chancen (Foundation for Digital Opportunities) has been committed to researching the social consequences of digitalisation, to advocating for equal opportunity access to the internet for all people and to strengthening their media literacy. Its goal is to promote the digital integration of all social groups and to counteract the threat of a digital divide. The Digital Opportunities Foundation is under the patronage of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection and the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

The internet offers opportunities for more information, more participation and social engagement. The foundation wants to create the conditions for all people to participate in the digital society and actively shape it. The foundation’s guiding theme is digital inclusion – to this end, it works in particular in the following thematic areas

Promotion of media competence
Online security
Usability / accessibility

To make it easier for other institutions to create digital training offers for seniors, the foundation has created a guide. With the guide “Digital Competences for Older People”, the Digital Opportunities Foundation wants to contribute to older people acquiring the necessary competences in dealing with digital applications and to strengthen their self-confidence. https://www.digitale-chancen.de/assets/includes/sendtext.cfm?aus=
11&key=1553

The Foundation is registered in the European Transparency Register at: http://ec.europa.eu/
transparencyregister/public/consultation/displaylobbyist.do?id=948042627375-19

Source: https://www.digitale-chancen.de/

Access date: 13.05.2022

Digital senior citizens

DigitaleSenior:innen (digital seniors citizens) is the service point for digital education for seniors in Austria. Their goal is to ensure that all people have access to the opportunities of digitalisation. In doing so, the educational institution offers support through advice from experts in the fields of adult education, media pedagogy, information technology and organisational development.

The offer of digitaleSenior:innen is aimed at educational institutions as well as trainers. They provide support in planning and implementing educational programmes for older people. As contact persons for senior-friendly teaching and learning, they help with the development and visualisation of projects.

The Service Point provides free advice on the development, planning and implementation of offers in the context of digital senior citizens’ education. Examples of advice could look like the following:

How can I reach my target group even better?
How can I ensure the low-threshold nature of my offers?
What didactic and methodological variety can improve my offers?
What simple steps can be taken to improve or ensure quality?
What training and further education opportunities are there for trainers?
How can I implement my offers in an online setting?

In addition, a wide variety of training materials are available for download on the website in the form of brochures, information sheets, presentations, explanatory videos & quizzes and step-by-step instructions. https://www.digitaleseniorinnen.at/leistungen/schulungsmaterialien/

Source: https://www.digitaleseniorinnen.at/

Access date: 13.05.2022

Golden Internet Award – Digitally Active in Later Life

The 60-plus generations, and especially those over 70, still use the internet very little compared to the younger population. Yet the older generations in particular can benefit from it. Therefore, since 2012, the “Golden Internet Award” has been honouring people, initiatives and, since 2017, municipalities that support older people in safely entering and using the online world. Last time there were almost 100 submissions nationwide.

Facilities can apply for the award in the following categories:

Category 1: Digital participation – supporting people in times of Corona
Category 2: Internet for all – the diversity of target groups!
Category 3: Community participation – the diversity of digital ways!

Special Award: Respectful – active for fair treatment on the net!

Source: https://www.goldener-internetpreis.de

Access date: 13.05.2022

Digital Pact for Old Age

The DigitalPakt Alter (Digital Pact for Old Age) is an initiative to strengthen the social participation and engagement of older people in a digitalised world. The Digital Pact for Old Age is designed as a longer-term initiative. Together with partner organisations from all areas of society, a wide range of measures to strengthen digital participation are to be advanced in a cooperative and cross-sectoral manner. The focus here is on a self-determined and independent life in old age and includes the fields of action that are described in the Eighth Report on Ageing as living environments: Housing, mobility, social participation, health and care as well as neighbourhoods.

Within the framework of the Digital Pact for Old Age, a funding programme for the establishment and expansion of digital places of experience has been launched. Actors such as “senior citizens’ internet initiatives” that provide low-threshold learning and practice opportunities for older people (in the form of a “digital experience place”) can apply. They are an important and useful addition to other forms of digital education, but need local networking and financial support to be sustainable.

The initiative also offers a regionally sorted database of 150 institutions in Germany that have digital services, networks or assistance and training for seniors. https://www.digitalpakt-alter.de/digitalpakt-alter/erfahrungsorte-1

Source: https://www.digitalpakt-alter.de

Access date: 13.05.2022