Tønnes (100) has a steely grip on the ‘internet’

A larger and larger part of our society is becoming digital. For 100-year-old Tunisia Hammersmark, technological development is a breeze.

– I use the tablet a lot, he admits.

Hammersmark has his Facebook profile, but he makes it clear that he uses the tablet for more practical things.

– I use online banking, pay bills, send emails, and read the newspaper on my tablet.

But not everyone is able to keep up with the increasingly digital daily life.

SeniorNet Secretary Kristen Rudd tells of the many seniors they have called for help. Seniornett is a volunteer organization that is actively working to develop solutions that will help seniors in digital Norway.

crying crying

Rod tells, among other things, of elderly people who call in tears because they don’t know how to deal with the digital world.

– They feel neglected, quite simply. It is very painful to be outside in society. She says you feel underappreciated as a human being.

Others who contact the organization are concerned that they cannot access the Norwegian Tax Agency or tax notices, purchase bus tickets and other necessities because they are not connected to the Internet.

A big problem

The Director of Supervision at the Directorate of Digitization, Malin Rygg, believes that the rapid development means that the community must take more responsibility to involve everyone in the development.

– We’re in the midst of a social turmoil and we have to make sure everyone is on board, she says.

The Digitization Directorate works, among other things, with oversight for companies to counter digital alienation. Rygg believes that both the public and private sectors have a way to go when it comes to developing solutions that work for all users, including the non-digital.

– As the supervisory authority has experienced over several years, we have not yet been able to meet the minimum requirements in the public or private sector. We must get better at finding “don’t make me think” solutions.

Rygg explains that the solutions must be so good that you can do it yourself without thinking.

You want the National Helpline

Seniornett currently has a helpline that members of the organization can call for assistance. Now they are calling for a national helpline.

Politicians are fully aware of the problem, but they will not take it seriously. They believe that these problems disappear when the elderly die. We know this is a problem that will persist for many years to come and will affect many age groups, says Rudd.

Local government and county minister Sigbjørn Gjelsvik (Sp) says providing care for seniors is something they work on every day, and something they want to focus on in the future.

We are very concerned about people getting good help. Although they may have mastered digital solutions, it is certainly not easy to use for this reason.

Gelsvik points out that they have increased the allocation of digital assistance to municipalities.

help in municipalities

Gelsvik believes that municipalities have a responsibility to help their non-digital citizens.

One of the things we’ve allocated money for is what we call digital assistance to municipalities. Specifically, different solutions should be found, through municipalities, to help those who are challenged with digital solutions, Gelsvik says.

He also praised Tunisia for mastering digital solutions despite his age.

It’s incredibly impressive and good that Muammar can embrace new digital solutions. It is something we try to facilitate, one should have good solutions for people in all age groups.