Tech-empowered seniors
Young help elderly in China unlock the mysteries, power of smartphones
Liu Qingzhong, now in his 70s, used to feel embarrassed when it came to paying water and electricity bills, buying railway tickets or booking hospital appointments, as he did not know how to use a smartphone.
Sensing that he was being “left behind”, he decided to master the new technology.
“I had my first smartphone about eight years ago, but it can be difficult for older people to understand the instructions,” Liu said.
“I had to ask my children or people who had the time to help me, which was not very convenient or efficient. It was also difficult for me to use the phone, especially with my eyesight possibly fading, poor hearing and bad memory.”
Liu noticed that, like him, many elderly people, clearly struggling to keep pace with digital transformation, used to pay with cash and speak with receptionists at hospitals to make medical appointments.
He saw a man in his 60s, from his neighborhood in western Beijing’s Shijingshan district, remove his electric bike’s battery and take it home to charge every day.
Liu wondered why the man failed to use charging points in the neighborhood, later learning that he did not know how to pay for the service with his smartphone.
“I’ve experienced similar challenges, so I understand how hard it can be for older people to use smartphones and for them to learn how these digital devices function,” Liu said.
He taught himself to master his smartphone in 2017, and now uses it to make calls, send text messages, shop online, book tickets for events and visit social media platforms.
A former engineer, Liu wanted to share this learning experience. He compiled a list of instructions for older users, along with his colleague Li Guangyuan, who is in his early 40s. Both work at the Sailande Social Work Office, a nonprofit organization offering community services in Shijingshan.
The instructions they made for older people run to about 100 pages and include pictures and large print for easy reading.
They chose to feature apps and programs commonly used in daily life — hospital registration apps, WeChat and apps for booking event tickets.
Li said: “Liu asked questions about using a smartphone from the point of view of a senior, and I answered his questions by providing simple instructions. Then, we both discussed ways to explain these instructions to other seniors.”
The compilation took them about six months to finish.
Since 2017, Liu and Li have taught seniors in more than 80 communities in Shijingshan to use smartphones.
Initially, few people attended their classes, but the number of students rose gradually, especially after COVID-19 emerged early last year.
“Older people found it hard to adapt to smartphones being used widely to access services aimed at containing and stopping the virus spreading,” Liu said.
For example, digital QR health codes that show a person’s travel history are required to enter venues spanning shopping malls, supermarkets and banks. Before going to hospitals, patients must make appointments on mobile phone apps.
With social distancing encouraged to curb infections, people have stayed home more, which led to rising demand for online shopping, communication and other activities.
Liu said: “There appeared to be an urgent need for older people to learn to keep up with the times by using smartphones to perform essential tasks such as making medical appointments or talking to their children through platforms such as WeChat.”
Yang Ran, who works at the Sailande Social Work Office, said: “We not only offer help for older people in Shijingshan who want to learn about using smartphones, but also to those throughout Beijing.”
Yang Ping, 65, a retired woman living in the Yingtaoyuan community in Xicheng district, Beijing, said: “I still prefer to get news from the newspaper and talk to my friends and family by phone, but it’s important for older people to keep learning new things.”
She received a new smartphone from her son as a Spring Festival gift. Using it to browse photos she took of her family during the holiday, she said she was still learning to use the device.
Li Qingling, a community worker in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, said: “For young people, smartphones are an essential part of their lives. They are constantly checking their devices on buses, the subway, or in restaurants.
“However, old people can take a lot of time learning to use smartphones. Some of them even reject the devices, saying they are too complicated.”
Li Qingling works with the Chunjiang community in the Wenhui Street Economic and Technological Development Zone in Yangzhou.
In December, the community launched free classes on using smartphones for people aged 65 and older. With about 10 volunteers from local universities as teachers, the classes are held twice weekly. More than 30 seniors have joined the sessions each week.
“We decided to launch the classes because, after the pandemic started early last year, many older people came to us asking about smartphone use. Some of their children couldn’t travel home to see them, so they needed to talk to them through video chat platforms,” Li Qingling, said.
The community has about 10,000 residents, with 40 percent aged 65 or older.
“Seniors’ needs in daily life are complex and diverse. It will take a collective effort by the government, families and society to help them enjoy the convenience of a digitized world,” Li Qingling said.
According to the China Development Research Foundation, it is estimated that people from age 65 will comprise 14 percent of the country’s population next year, and by 2050, China could have 500 million people aged 60 and older.
A report from the China Internet Network Information Center shows that as of June, 940 million Chinese were using smartphones to go online, and 10.3 percent of whom were aged 60 or older. From March to June, the number of senior users from age 60 rose by 36 million.
The government is also aware of the problems facing seniors.
In November, the State Council, China’s Cabinet, outlined measures to help the elderly use smart technology to access medical treatment, recreational activities and public services.
For example, on March 3, authorities in Changzhou, Jiangsu, introduced several measures at public venues including railway stations, parks and banks, to provide traditional forms of service to seniors, including cash payments and physical tickets.
According to the website of the Standing Committee of the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Congress, users of public services including transportation, water, electricity and gas, are not required to pay digitally.
Apps for news portals, social media platforms including Sina Weibo and Toutiao, medical services and travel agency Ctrip have been earmarked as first to be updated with “seniorfriendly” versions. Authorities have also been asked to install a long-term mechanism by the end of 2022 to mitigate the impact of digitalization on the elderly.
Technology companies have been targeting seniors, recognizing the huge financial potential. Products with larger app icons, bigger text, simple displays, voice-assisted technology and emergency buttons have been designed for this market.
In Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province, the Yangfan student club at Xi’an Jiaotong University launched a program in 2013 aimed at helping seniors bridge the digital divide and better integrate into a smart society.
The program has helped hundreds of retirees from the university, particularly those with no children living with them and who lack basic smartphone and computer skills.
Qu Fengyu, 83, a retired chemistry professor, is among those attending such sessions each week.
“As the pandemic struck, such skills became essential and it was impossible to live without them,” said Qu, whose two children are in the United States.
As part of the program, each weekend about 30 student volunteers, mostly undergraduates, meet and help seniors overcome difficulties they encounter in an increasingly digitalized society.
Liu Kaitian, head of the club, said the program has expanded over the years, from computer skills to smartphone use, scanning QR codes and using apps.
“We all have elderly members of our families and we will grow old ourselves. Seniors shouldn’t be abandoned in such a tech-empowered world,” he said.
One of the volunteers, Yang Xu, a sophomore with the university’s artificial intelligence department, said: “They (seniors) forget quickly and ask the same question repeatedly. Those coming to us are usually open-minded and eager to learn. New technology should provide them with access, rather than a barrier, to a better life.”
Shen Hongkun, a junior student at the university’s management school who joined the program as a freshman, said the university’s neighborhood community is home to 4,000 retirees, many of whom have children living elsewhere in China or overseas.
“Our services, as well as the companionship, bring positive changes to seniors’ lives. We feel good about helping them,” Shen said.
However, he said the program can only reach a small number of seniors, who also need care and support from society as a whole.
He added that smartphone and app developers should also develop functions that seniors can understand and use.
Liu Xiumei, 70, a retiree from the university, said she could not agree more. She joined the program last year, largely because of the pandemic.
“I didn’t know how to scan a QR health code, so I could not use buses or visit a shopping center,” she said.
Previously, she used her smartphone mainly to chat with friends on WeChat or to watch short videos.
“With the arrival of the pandemic, a smartphone has become an essential part of life, although I initially found it quite hard to master all the functions,” Liu Xiumei said.