_ November 26, 2019_ Lucian Costea

The Digital Seniors - My grandparents are paying their bills online

Digital Seniors? It seems such a big word, especially when we know we have to explain to our elders what do we do at the office. Do you remember they’re surprised faces when they heard of Enterprise solutions? Or that they can pay their bills online?

In a period of digitalization and the continuous evolution of technology, in a city that speaks software development more than any other area of the country, we have to keep up with the new trends, regardless of age.

Therefore, over 150 seniors from Cluj-Napoca were the pioneers of the first digitalization program for the elderly. The Digital Seniors program. On Wednesday, November 20, they successfully graduated.

These courses were possible because of the involvement of many kind people. They realized the importance of learning some basic information on how to work with a computer. Therefore, the project brought together companies from the private sector such as AROBS Transilvania Software, Transilvania IT Cluster, Simplon, as well as from the public sector such as the City Hall of Cluj-Napoca, the Social Assistance Directorates and the Elderly Centers no. 1 and 2 from the city.

How was the Digital Seniors program?

This wonderful project took place over several months, during which the seniors learned from scratch how to use a computer. With a lot of involvement from trainers and volunteers, they started by learning the basic components of a computer, following the lessons on how to search for information on the Internet, accessing a page, creating an e-mail address and using it for correspondence, and even making payments online.

We have to keep our mind young and occupied. How can we do this? By learning. Now that our seniors are digitalized, they can train their mind by learning something new everyday with the help of the internet. Luckily, the internet has so much information and it changed the way we learn today. Broadband Search tells us how. Find out more about it here.

AROBS has been a part of this project from the beginning. Involvement in the Digital Seniors project is a first for the company but a great success. AROBS has provided the necessary infrastructure for conducting the courses by providing computers and trainers.

Graduation

Both senior citizens attended the event, digital now and organizers. Smiles and mirth were the main elements of the evening. The room was filled with loud applause and the excitement of receiving the graduation diploma made us look back at the days when school was ending, and we were eagerly waiting for our name to be called out in front of the class.

At the same time, representatives of the entities involved in the organization and implementation of the project spoke, recognizing the need for such a program, acquiring knowledge in the field of technology by the elderly and the ease with which they can subsequently carry out various activities that do not involve too much physical activity (online payments, online shopping, mailing).

After receiving positive feedback from the participants, the unanimous opinion of the organizers was that this project must continue. In this regard, AROBS together with all those involved has committed to continue to support the program in the coming years, with everything that this project requires.