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AGM 2011

The 2011 Annual General Meeting was held on 24 September.  To view details of the meeting, and to download the President's report, which was tabled at the meeting click here.

BSOL to the Rescue!! 

 Research has found that many seniors are worried about learning the computer, and are frightened to go online.  They want one on one training and want reassurance and support with what they are doing.  This is where Brisbane Seniors OnLine can help.  The article below is reprinted from the ABC website.  If you'd like to learn more, listen to the interview which was first broadcast on 11 August 2011 on 612ABC with researcher Dr Sandra Haukka and Spencer Howson. (.mp3 file, 3Mb) 

  Seniors offline 

The government urgently needs an overall strategy to stop older Australians being left out of the loop  as businesses, services and social activities shift online, according to a new report.

The report, titled Older Australians and the Internet comes from
the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation
Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane.
"With the government and private sector spending billions on the
National Broadband Network, we have to make sure that the internet can be used  by all those who need it the most," says social scientist, Dr Sandra Haukka.
Previous research has found that over 40 per cent of senior Australians do not have the skills, knowledge or interest to use the internet.
"There are serious negative impacts for those without access to it,
such as the inability to access Centrelink, who are shifting more and more of their services online, or obtaining their health records from Australia's e-health record system when it becomes widely available in July 2012," says Haukka.

 

'Better things to do'

Haukka investigated the reasons why many seniors are not online in a survey
of 149 non-users, mainly over the age of 65 years.
She was surprised to find that while most seniors knew the benefits offered
by the internet, 50 per cent were "resistant" to using it.

They felt it was too complicated, too expensive, or they simply had "better things to do."  The other 50 per cent of seniors surveyed were interested in using the internet, but not so much to pay their bills or do online banking.

Haukka found lack of skills, the cost of getting online, confusion about the technology involved and concerns about security and viruses all acted as barriers to internet use by seniors.  She says many seniors did not find internet training sessions at local
libraries and community centres useful in giving them the skills the needed to confidently use the internet in the way they wanted.  Haukka says training needs to focus on developing digital skills that are transferable no matter what website or software program a senior is using. And it needs to focus on helping them to do what they really want to do.

 Searching and communicating, not banking

Haukka found seniors were most interested in using the internet to
communicate with friends and family and to search for information, especially on health.  Given this, training exercises could include how to take and email a digital photo, and effective internet search strategies. Haukka found seniors were also interested in checking time tables and directories, as well as making bookings and appointments online. But they were less interested in online banking and bill payment and using social media.

 Internet kiosks

While the government has invested in internet kiosks and other technology to increase seniors' access to the web, Haukka found 70 per cent of survey respondents had not heard of the internet kiosks, and some said getting to the kiosks would be a problem.  She says Australia would benefit from having an overall strategy, as developed by the European Commission, designed to help older people in the information society.  And there should be targets for the uptake of the internet by seniors, says Haukka.

 In addition to cheaper computers and internet access, free and more effective training, Haukka's report recommends a free internet helpline and more user friendly web interfaces. "Many seniors told us they need one-on-one help," she says.

Human rights

Haukka says there are likely to be people who will remain resistant to using the internet.  For now, she says, phone numbers and help-lines provide an alternative means of contacting organisations, but this is changing, especially in the private sector.  "Our research participants say that more and more companies are
communicating by email, and phone numbers are being replaced by web addresses," says Haukka.  "Many older people are frustrated at being referred by companies to websites for information."  

Haukka says access to information is a basic human right, citing the Australian Human Rights Commission.  "Regardless of whether people want to use the internet or not, they have a right to access information."