For the majority of the population, making transactions through mobile phones or different applications is a common gesture. We cannot conceive of consulting and paying a bill, accessing a bank account or completing any administrative procedure without resorting to the Internet. It is an example of how digitalization makes our lives easier by saving us time, money, resources…
But we are not all on equal terms, and what for most is something simple and quick, for others it becomes a nightmare. Older people know this well, one of the most vulnerable groups in the face of the unstoppable phenomenon of digitalization. Despite their efforts to adapt to new circumstances, for many of them it is an impossible mission. Something normal, since they have not been trained in digital language and, therefore, their capacity for autonomy is diminished when they face technology. On too many occasions, they are overwhelmed by the difficulties it entails for them and they throw in the towel or, outright, don’t even try. They thus become a vulnerable group when they were not before.
‘Reconnected will help boost the full potential of older people in this digital age, because we are aware of the enormous value they bring to our society
Carmen Morenés, general director of Fundación Telefónica
The report Digital Society in Spain 2023, published by Fundación Telefónica, reveals that only three quarters of the population over 65 years of age have surfed the Internet in the last three months, and that only 60% use it daily. Those post-war children have witnessed the most profound social changes in the last century, and the digital age should not be a barrier to their development.
To avoid this, Fundación Telefónica has launched a comprehensive and free program to train both older people and their closest surroundings – family members and professionals from social entities that work with the senior group – in digital skills, with the intention that they can accompany them in their learning. It’s about the project Reconnected, technology is agelesswhich is made up of three initiatives.
On the one hand, it has a permanent cycle of five face-to-face workshops which take place every Thursday morning at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica (Madrid). With a duration of two hours each, the content of the workshops It revolves around how the mobile phone works, applications to use on a daily basis, how to get the most out of WhatsApp, safer use of technology or the introduction to new emerging technologies such as the Metaverse. The Fundación Telefónica educational team, accompanied by company volunteers, teaches these sessions, in which different activities are also carried out, such as guided visits to exhibitions or participation in specific events. The objective is that older people can experience the knowledge that is generated in the Fundación Telefónica Space.
In addition, Reconnected offers all these training contents through four courses on-line, so that everyone can do them at their own pace and from anywhere. In this way, the impact of the project is expanded by extending it to all those who wish to improve their digital knowledge. To complete the program, Fundación Telefónica makes available to relatives and professionals a series of training resources in the form of very simple pedagogical guides. The use of this material contributes to giving more security to older people who have difficulty or fear when using their mobile devices.
“Age sometimes limits us when it comes to accessing technology. We need them to explain it to us according to our knowledge,” acknowledges Mercedes González, who has participated in one of these workshops. She admits that what she liked most is that she has learned how important “it is to lock our mobile phones in case we lose them, so that no one can access them.” Juan José Nuño, who would like to acquire more knowledge about the use of computers and mobile phones, has also attended one of these trainings. “Before we only communicated through words, now we are much more connected. We can talk to people who are far away by simply sending them a WhatsApp,” she explains. Elena López, another of the students in these sessions, thinks the same, who maintains that it is necessary to “learn about technology” to adapt “to the new environment.” Thanks to this workshop, she adds, she feels “more confident and less burdened by having to ask my family about how to use my mobile phone.” Because in this fast-moving world, no one should be left behind because of technology.
Thanks to this workshop I feel safer and less overwhelmed by having to ask my family how to use my mobile phone
Elena López, student of ‘Reconnected’
The general director of Fundación Telefónica, Carmen Morenés, recalls that education and training are the great strategic axes of the foundation, and that Reconnected “It will help boost the full potential of older people in this digital age, because we are aware of the enormous value they bring to our society.” The initiative has the support of numerous entities such as the Spanish Banking Association (AEB), About Culture, the FDI Foundation, SECOT and 65YMÁS.
A digital society within reach of citizens
Fundación Telefónica is committed to technology as a means for integration and social evolution. Thanks to it, it is possible to expand capacities and possibilities, and break down inequalities. With a direct, innovative and differential intervention model, the institution works with different groups so that they understand the challenges and opportunities of digitalization, and thus impact society.
Throughout 2022, a total of 70,456 older people have participated in different initiatives promoted by the foundation, such as workshops to enhance communication with their families and their inclusion in a digital society. Also in virtual support projects through Telefónica Volunteers, aimed at alleviating unwanted loneliness; with inclusive leisure activities, which help maintain their cognitive activity; and in intergenerational meetings in which they have valued their experience and have created a very close connection with the young people who have come to them.
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