It’s a Tuesday evening. There are mobiles and smartphones all around; in the background, there are smiles as well as enthusiastic chit-chat. This energetic bunch has come together at the ‘Elders Centre’, Panampilly Nagar. They are taking part in the ‘Smart Seniors’ programme, with the motto ‘age gracefully and smart’. Through this initiative, the elders get familiarised with the latest technologies on their Android or iOS phones.
‘How many of you use Uber?’ asks George G., a senior consultant organising the programme. Three of them raise their hands. ‘How many of you have heard about Uber?’ he asks again. This time many of them raise their hands. Whether the question is on ‘PayTM’ or any other online apps, the response remains the same. They are afraid to use such apps because of the fear that they might go wrong. Such a situation is smoothly handled by the organisers who give individual attention to each of them and helped them get comfortable with technology.
Lisna Ismail, Operations Director, of the consultancy organising the event says, “One of the senior citizens just said that her son and his family are in Canada and that she hadn’t seen her grandchild yet. ‘I have heard that there is a facility on the phone through which I can see them in a video’ she said. Very often, these elders are gifted smartphones by their children, but these children don’t have the time to teach them how to operate the phones.
Mariama M. Varghese, retired professor of Marthoma College, Perumbavoor, who is also in charge of the Elders Centre, says, “Most of the elder citizens are cluelessabout the facilities on the phone. So this was a great platform through which they could improve their knowledge on such matters.”
The event that was attended by 35 members was an interactive one and each of them enjoyed what they were doing. In the end, Lizy Joseph and Mercy Varghese were seen helping each other booking an Uber.
“This programme has completed around 12 sessions now and will be extended to other cities. We feel happy when elder citizens, after attending the sessions, make an online purchase and send the gift to our address,” adds Lisna.
