Don’t let the elderly be "stuck" outside of smart devices
The new crown pneumonia epidemic suddenly struck, and the difficulties faced by the elderly in scanning codes, medical treatment, and payment were placed under the "magnifying glass". While testing the continuous learning ability of the elderly, how to help the elderly to overcome the "digital divide" became An exam question in the current society.
In September of this year, the 46th "Statistical Report on China's Internet Development Status" released by the China Internet Network Information Center showed that as of June 2020, the number of Internet users in my country has reached 940 million, of which only 10.3% are Internet users over 60 years old. .
This means that many elderly people have not yet touched the Internet, let alone enjoy the dividends brought by the digital economy.
Old people are really hard to adapt
On October 28, Ms. Feng, 84, stood at a loss in front of a self-service machine on the first floor of a hospital in Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Registering, inserting a card, choosing a department, choosing a general number/expert number, and paying, just five steps will be difficult for her who wants to get a number.
Afterwards, she asked the volunteers on the scene for help: "This is the first time I have done this. Can you guide me?"
"Running back and forth at the age of 84, I can't stand it!" Before that, Ms. Feng had just visited the 4th floor consulting room and asked the doctor how to get a number.
Since the volunteers who guided her to pick up the number have just started to work, they were not familiar with the number picking process and failed.
Afterwards, she went back to the 4th floor and asked the doctor. After several tossings, she finally got the number with the help of a nurse.
With almost no queuing, Ms. Feng spent more than half an hour with the help of a few people only for the number-taking process.
In the past few months, Ms. Feng clearly felt that her eyesight was reduced. Under the epidemic situation, due to strict management of personnel going out in the nursing home she lived in, she never went to the hospital for treatment. “Now it can’t be delayed.” She said that she has been watching here. After more than 10 years of illness, I have never encountered such a situation. "After the correction, it is really difficult for the elderly to adapt."
"For the sake of life, it is impossible to force the elderly to do it." Ms. Feng said that she learned online shopping a few years ago. During the epidemic, she also bought a lot of food and daily necessities online.
In fact, online appointment registration is not a problem for her. For her wife and children, she makes online appointments, but it is the first time she has contacted on-site self-registration.
She said that her hearing is not good now, and she often can't hear clearly, and she is anxious during operation. The more anxious she is, the more she can't find it.
"I also know that digitalization is a trend, but I can't help it when I get older."
Ms. Feng said that she has a relatively high level of smart phone use, and 80% of the elderly around her would not use mobile phones to pay.
On the one hand, the old people find it troublesome to learn; on the other hand, they feel that their brains are not enough.
"Memory and other aspects are beyond your control."
On November 5, Ms. Feng had an operation and is currently recovering.
She told a reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that before returning to the elderly apartment, she still needs to submit a nucleic acid test report, "I don't know how to make an appointment for a nucleic acid test, and who to make an appointment with."
Hospital staff told reporters that due to the impact of the epidemic, the hospital canceled manual registration windows this year and changed all appointments to online appointments or through self-service machines. Most of the elderly see a doctor with their children helping to register.
Ms. Feng said that it is not easy for a child to ask for leave, "As long as I can move, I don't want to hurt my child."
To this end, the hospital has set up many volunteers to help patients register, 66-year-old Liu Zhijun is one of them.
He lives in Fangshan and travels to 3 hospitals 6 days a week to guide patients to register.
In the past 2 months, about 20 or 30 elderly people came to him for help every day.
"I don't have a mobile phone number, can I have a landline number?" At the time of registration, the gray-haired Cai Hua (pseudonym) asked Liu Zhijun for help because he needed to add information about his mobile phone number.
It's not that she doesn't have a mobile phone, but she can't use the mobile phone she bought in March last year.
Later, she took out a note with her mobile phone number from her pocket, 11 digits, and she entered it wrong many times.
She told a reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that the dermatology account she wanted to register for the next three days was gone. Because she didn't know how to make an appointment with a mobile phone, she ran to the hospital again and again.
On October 28, Chen Hao, who was still a junior, was the first day he went to the hospital as a volunteer.
She said that 70% of the elderly who came to her for help that day, the first old man I met was to get someone else to make an appointment for him. The old man was illiterate, and Chen Hao led the whole process, but he was still stuck. In the last step, because the machine does not support cash payment, the elderly will not use mobile payment.
Then, the old man went to the service desk for help.
Chen Hao said that even if he helped the elderly get a number, he would worry that if no one took them, they would encounter problems in other links.
In front of the hospital's self-service number pick-up machine, Liu Zhijun was a "skilled hand" who helped people pick up the number. When a patient said he wanted to see a dermatology department, he immediately responded that he should go to general surgery.
In fact, Liu Zhijun himself is still a "digital poor". He usually booked tickets with the help of children. When he went to the station to pick up the tickets, he was often the person who was "stuck" outside the intelligent equipment.
The development of science and technology should not ignore the elderly
How to help the elderly cross the "digital divide" is a new question.
According to the latest forecast data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, by the end of the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the country's elderly population will exceed 300 million, and my country will move from a mild aging to a moderate aging.
Wang Chunhui, professor of Zhejiang University and dean of the Digital Economy Research Institute of the United Nations World Silk Road Forum, said in an interview with a reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that in the digital economy era, it is necessary to train and educate all people to transform from citizens to "digital citizens." Cultivate the ability of all citizens to live with digital technology.
Wang Chunhui said that in view of the "digital divide" faced by the elderly, it is necessary to strengthen training to improve digital capabilities; at the same time, in scenarios where code scanning, registration and smart payment are required, the guidance and assistance for the elderly should be increased; and Open up a green channel to further help the elderly in need.
In terms of bridging the digital divide for the elderly, some experts have focused more on family "digital backfeeding", allowing the elderly to integrate into digital life through information sharing and intergenerational interaction within the family.
Some children often lack the time and energy to "feed back" the elderly due to work and other reasons.
So, training courses in society are also a supplementary means.
Nowadays, training courses on the use of smart phones for the elderly have been opened in grassroots communities in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
Recently, Nanjing Gulou Open University launched a smart phone training course to teach the elderly to scan code payment, online registration, use of health codes, and fraud prevention.
According to relevant media reports, there was even a hard-to-find "seat" for the course.
Ye Qingtao, president of Nanjing Gulou Open University, said that “the development of science and technology should not ignore the elderly”.
In fact, before leaving the nursing home, Ms. Feng set the health code.
The staff of the elderly care institution where Ms. Feng works said that in normal times, the elderly will be trained to use smart phones according to their needs.
However, it is often for the elderly to forget what they learn. It is necessary to create an atmosphere for them to use smartphones and urge them to continue learning.
In the process of serving the elderly, Chen Hao said that sometimes when multiple elderly people consult at the same time, volunteers are often overwhelmed, and the number of volunteers needs to be increased.
When using self-service kiosks, many elderly people have encountered payment problems, and the use of self-service equipment should be easier and smarter.
At the beginning of this year, the "2019 Mobile Payment User Survey Report" released by the China Payment and Clearing Association showed that only 5.5% of mobile payment users were over 61 years old.
The diversification of payment methods, such as supporting cash payments, will also bring more convenience to the elderly.
In addition, relevant departments are continuing to improve their public service capabilities for the elderly.
For example, Beijing proposes to open a green channel to provide convenient services such as registration and medical treatment for the elderly.
Seeing this news, Ms. Feng seemed to have taken a "reassurance pill". She thought, she should not be so embarrassed next time she sees a doctor.
China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Zhao Limei Source: China Youth Daily