In this current time of a global pandemic of COVID-19 where everything is going online from work, education, meetings, socializing, etc the senior citizens who have kind of lost the whole technology boom find it harder to cope up to this unforeseen digital change driven by the pandemic. They are the generation of people who have to take the most aggressive self-isolation measures to stay safe and would find it harder to cope up to this rapid change. A bright side to it is that senior citizens who learnt to be connected using technology in this pandemic are living the most socially active days of their lives. On the other hand, those who find it hard to use or aren’t privileged enough to access technology are being driven into more socially isolated periods of their lives. Social isolation is not a new experience for many seniors even before the time of the pandemic. Tech companies and organizations are now more considerate than ever before to make their products such a way that seniors would be able to access them without being intimidated or require external help to use it. Let’s look at some of the technologies which are helping senior citizens lead a better living in this time of COVID-19 pandemic.

Video Conferencing 

The one technology that has developed the most in this pandemic is video conferencing. This has literally changed the way people communicate. Virtual meetings which were very rare before the pandemic has now become the new norm. Video conferencing is the major way a senior could be socially connected to the outside world safely. This pandemic has fueled a Zoom boom. Last year the young video conferencing app had just 10 million daily participants but by April 2020 this has grown to 300+ million daily users. There are many alternatives to zoom like Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, FaceTime etc but zoom has found an edge because of it’s easy to connect and use interface. Press a link and you are connected with people everywhere. This helps senior citizens to be connected with their peers, children and grandchildren giving them a sense of belonging and connectedness. Zoom needs a decent bandwidth to run and one has to make sure they have the required connectivity. Seniors who initially found it hard to join meetings have now got experienced enough to host meetings and schedule them in just a little practice. Many of the old age recreational activities which were once being held physically have also turned to video conferencing like, sewing, cooking, book meets etc. Senior citizens who had to maintain stringent physical distancing from others through video conferencing technology were able to remain socially connected. Living their lives in quarantine, these seniors are living the most socially active days of their lives.

Virtual Assistants & Smart devices 

    Virtual assistant technologies like Google’s assistant, Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa etc are nowadays being more tailored specifically for senior citizens. Using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning these devices cater to their needs and making their digital experiences more user friendly. Smart devices like watches, sensors, smart house systems, etc keep them safer by updating the vital signals to their children and call for emergencies if they detect anything is not as usual. This technology has indeed saved many lives by calling for help in crucial times. Now that seniors' health can be tracked real-time using these assistants and smart devices, children and their caretakers feel more confident and secure about their well being. These devices available can help remind senior citizens of the medical duties for each day like taking required medications, exercising, controlling their diet, etc without a person being physically present to remind them. They also offer voice services and even could talk back/ play music to them to keep them company. 

Online Consulting

    On the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic many of the caretenders services, doctor visits, nurse check-ups were halted unexpectedly. This had remorse on the senior citizens availing those elderly care services at regular intervals. Doctors found it hard to connect with their patients for the fear of being infected by the virus themselves and had to make sure they are not passively transmitting the virus to the seniors they take care of. This had a huge impact on the health industry. Technology came to help in the form of online doctor consulting which solved the dual issue faced both by the doctors and their patients. Doctors could now be connected to their patients to monitor their health/wellbeing regularly and seniors could now have a more easy and convenient way of reaching their doctors. Thanks to technology like this, which helps alleviate the stress that senior citizens face when taking care of themselves. This can also help provide their medical details that can be reported to doctors to help them develop the best plan of care.