Seniors and technology: what has changed during the Corona crisis?

Ordering groceries, contacting loved ones via video chat, using health apps: How do seniors feel about digitization today?

No question about it: modern technology can be very useful and also make everyday life easier for seniors. In addition, risk groups can stay in contact with the world from their home during the Corona crisis and do many things for which they would otherwise have to leave the apartment. But what does the digital everyday life of the older generation really look like these days?

Although the crisis has convinced some skeptical seniors, there has apparently not yet been a big boost in the digitization of older people. This is the result of two surveys commissioned by the digital association Bitkom. The surveys are based on two surveys of Germans aged 65 and over in January and July 2020 – each with more than 1,000 participants.

Little growth during the crisis

In July, 69 percent of those surveyed said they saw an opportunity in digitization, while at the beginning of the year it was 64 percent. Around 29 percent (33 percent in January) also see this as a danger. A good 45 percent now claim that they are open to innovations in the field of technology. In recent years there have been significant changes in the use of the Internet. Every second senior aged 65 and over (49 percent) is online, compared to 38 percent in 2014.

However, 52 percent also think that they do not need the Internet and 49 percent stated that they do not have the technical means to go online. A full 30 percent no longer want to grapple with all the innovations in old age. 14 percent, on the other hand, would take a look but have no one to familiarize them with the Internet.

The survey shows that the digital world has proven itself during the pandemic, explains Bitkom President Achim Berg. "The step into new digital territory is still difficult for seniors – they still need more offers of help."

Who needs Instagram?

Seniors who already use the Internet prefer to write e-mails (96 percent), look for information about their interests (93 percent), read the news (88 percent) or use it to order goods (72 percent) and do banking ( 69 percent) to do.

Netflix, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify and Co., on the other hand, are obviously not known to many seniors. Only 44 percent said in June that they watched series, films or videos online. 40 percent used video telephony and only 34 percent were interested in social networks.

The use of a conventional PC is most common among seniors. 54 percent use a desktop computer, 42 percent a laptop and 20 percent use tablets. 41 percent also use a smartphone, while 25 percent still get by with a cell phone without a touch display.

Healthy thanks to a smartphone

At the same time, there are more and more people among smartphone seniors who, according to Bitkom, are interested in apps from the health sector. 29 percent of users over the age of 65 stated that they have already used applications that support them, for example, with exercise or nutrition. In January it was 25 percent.

"Health apps can be of particularly valuable help for the elderly," says Bitkom CEO Dr. Bernhard Rohleder. "They support the regular intake of medication, provide information about your own vital values ​​and provide incentives for a healthy life."

Apps that make it possible to record fitness data and measure heart rate or blood pressure, for example, have so far been used by 22 percent of seniors, while 49 percent are open to trying out such applications in the future. So far, 16 percent have used programs that provide information on topics such as weight or nutrition. However, 33 percent could imagine looking into the future. The third most common are apps that offer suggestions for behavior or motivation based on recorded data. Such applications are already in use at 15 percent, 36 percent are considering them.

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