Charities demand IT lifeline for the elderly after ‘slow’ response

CHARITIES have called the Government’s lack of IT support for the elderly “disappointing” and urged it to fund the purchase of equipment during lockdown.

Elderly people living in care homes or isolating in the community risk becoming isolated if they are unable to gain access to the internet, campaigners have warned. Caroline Abrahams, the charity director at Age UK, said: “The Government has been very slow to take on board the importance of technology as a means of helping older people to address loneliness.” She said the lack of response from the Government was “disappointing.”

“Let’s be perfectly honest,” she said, “it’s completely consistent with the Government approach to supporting the digital inclusion of older people.”

Ms Abrahams said having access to the internet during the lockdown was a lifeline for the elderly.

Helen Milner, chief executive of the Good Things Foundation, said: “If you’re an older person living independently, you’re often living alone. The world has been cut off from them.”

Earlier this week, 50 MPs sent an open letter to the Government urging it to take action to help vulnerable people access IT equipment. The MPs wrote that there was an “urgent need of financial support” to fund charity projects giving elderly people devices.

Charities and businesses in the UK have donated thousands of electronic tablets and laptops to the elderly to help them stay in touch with relatives during lockdown, find health information, and order food online.

Ms Milner said her charity had distributed more than 1,700 devices to elderly people as part of the FutureDotNow initiative. “It’s a huge issue,” Ms Milner said. “Demand within the community is incredibly high.”

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has helped contact businesses to ask them to donate devices. However, Ms Milner said the project required more support.