Technology is an integral part of modern life, revolutionising the way we live, work, and interact with the world around us. It offers endless opportunities to enrich our lives like enabling communication with loved ones, broadening our access to information, and simplifying many aspects of our lives including healthcare, finances, and transport.
At Oak Tree, it’s important to us that our residents don’t get left behind when it comes to technology. We want them to feel confident and safe in using it as a tool to enhance their lives, and we’re always looking for new initiatives to introduce to our residents that will broaden their knowledge, empower them, and improve their overall quality of life.
With that being said, we have been fortunate to be successful for the ‘Be Connected’ grant for our 31 retirement villages. Be Connected is a program established by the Australian Government aimed at increasing the confidence, skills, and online safety of older Australians when they use the internet.
Seniors with low internet skills can often feel isolated from their family and wider community, at a time in their lives when being connected is especially important. The program aims to change that and help seniors realise the value of being connected online, while providing access to the appropriate training and support in a safe, familiar environment.
By introducing this in our Oak Tree villages, we want to ensure our residents have sufficient cybersecurity, privacy, and digital literacy, and can be resourceful online. We also want them to feel empowered to use technology in fun ways – connect with family members abroad, utilise social media platforms, access entertainment, create content, and engage with their local community.
We are excited to announce that the Be Connected program is now well underway in our Oak Tree villages, with residents embracing and thoroughly enjoying the many new skills they’re learning in the classes! Some of the most popular classes include:
- Scam Seminar Presentation
- Apple hints and Tips
- Android Hints & Tips
- Taking a great photo with your smartphone
- Navigating My Health Records & MyGov
Often, people can be reluctant to take part in programs alone, but by integrating Be Connected into our village communities, residents can participate together, rely on each other for support, keep one another accountable, and have a more enjoyable, collective experience!
As part of the Be Connected program, the Australian Government also provides a number of free online learning computer classes, which we have encouraged our residents to utilise. These range from articles, online courses, and podcasts, and touch on topics such as setting up and using email, avoiding impersonation scams, fun things to do with your photos, introduction to buying and selling online, and so much more.
You can find these free resources here: https://beconnected.esafety.gov.au
We are thrilled to see the success of Be Connected in our Oak Tree villages and look forward to introducing more programs like this to our residents in the future!
To learn more about Be Connected, visit: https://www.beconnectednetwork.org.au/news-events/be-connected-program-launched-older-australians
