Smart Online Lectures via Contactless Methods like Online Shopping and Delivery Apps... Regular Elderly Informatization Education Courses Also Offered Online
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] As the high-intensity social distancing measures have been extended until the 19th, purchasing methods have shifted mainly online, causing great difficulties for elderly people who are not familiar with digital devices.
In response, Seocho-gu (Mayor Eunhee Jo), which has been leading efforts to bridge the information gap for the elderly, announced that it will conduct various non-face-to-face online lectures, such as smartphone app usage education, for elderly people experiencing difficulties in daily life due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.
The district explained that unlike young people who have become accustomed to online shopping during COVID-19, elderly people who find it difficult to use smartphones still have to go to markets and supermarkets in person due to social distancing and refraining from going out. This situation raises concerns that elderly people, who are vulnerable to health issues, are more exposed to infection risks, which led to the preparation of online lectures.
First, the district will produce smartphone usage education videos that are easy to follow, such as online shopping, delivery apps, and mask apps, each about 10 minutes long, and provide them on the district office website and the YouTube channel ‘Seocho Halmahalppaiyagi’ starting this week.
Along with this, the district will also produce and distribute kiosk (unmanned issuing machine) education video lectures, which it developed and implemented for the first time nationwide last year.
As a result, elderly people are expected to be able to resolve inconveniences in daily life caused by digital exclusion, such as not having to walk around neighborhoods to buy essential items like masks or daily necessities.
Moreover, as education for elderly people vulnerable to digital devices has become more urgent amid the COVID-19 situation, the ‘Elderly Informatization Group Education’ previously conducted at the Seocho IT Education Center will no longer be postponed and will be replaced by real-time non-face-to-face online lectures starting mid-April.
In addition, the district has been providing various online programs to eliminate the sense of helplessness in daily life and to energize elderly people due to the long-term closure of welfare facilities and social distancing.
Popular classes such as line dance and stretching have been offered as videos mainly through the Senior Welfare Center and Netinamu Shelter, which have alleviated the boredom of elderly people and received enthusiastic responses. Furthermore, an online welfare center operates by providing various lectures online, including video conferencing, baduk (Go) classes, singing classes, and language classes.
Prior to this, since 2019, the district has been making efforts toward a ‘society without digital exclusion’ through programs such as Smart Senior kiosk education. It established IT experience zones in five elderly welfare facilities in the region for the first time nationwide, developed its own kiosk education program, and implemented the ‘Smart Senior Project’ with diverse content, attracting many visits and inquiries from various local governments nationwide for benchmarking.
Mayor Eunhee Jo said, “We will do our best to bridge the digital information gap, including smartphone usage education, so that elderly people do not face difficulties in daily life due to digital exclusion.”
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