The COVID-19 pandemic has left nearly 50 million older Americans facing an ongoing period of home confinement, exacerbating the disparity in older adults’ internet connectivity and digital literacy. A 2017 Pew Research study showed that one-third of U.S. adults ages 65 and older still do not have reliable internet access and only a quarter of adults over 65 say they feel confident using electronics to go online.1 The Federal Government is addressing this access gap with new broadband funding, however, the City needs a plan to help senior citizens gain confidence using technology in their daily lives.
Technology education courses will help older Americans gain the confidence and ability to better participate in basic life activities — from communicating with loved ones to managing personal health and finances. The City offers basic digital literacy programming through Chicago Public Libraries and third-party services like Northstar, but this programming is not structured to teach seniors how to use technology in their daily lives to learn, work, and create community. Older Adult Technology Services (OATS) is an international non-profit with a rigorously tested model in helping older people interact with technology and would be well placed to provide these services.
The Mayor’s Office should partner with Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) to open a Senior Planet technology learning center in a Chicago regional senior center.
OATS operates Senior Planet technology centers across the country that offer in-person and virtual technology courses to help seniors learn technology basics and develop life-enhancing skills such as: digital photography, social media, online banking, and video conferencing. In addition to multi-week courses, Senior Planet centers also offer senior-relevant, tech-related lectures, workshops, and social events. A Senior Planet technology center would supplement services offered at Chicago’s senior centers and would serve as a flagship location for best teaching practices and resources that could be shared with other senior centers in Chicago.
The City of Chicago should be a recognized licensee of Senior Planet. Licensees receive trainer coaching, access to Senior Planet’s digital support center, ongoing communication around tech news, and much more.2 The City could finance the office and staff through a mix of public and private funding and could consult OATS on how other cities have financed their Senior Planet centers.
The state of Illinois launched a volunteer program in 2021 to assist residents of low-income and rural communities with digital literacy skills. This program could be expanded to assist seniors at home who are not able to visit a physical campus, but could access OATS programming online.3 OATS offers a wide variety of online programming, which would allow seniors from across the city to easily access content distributed through the Senior Planet learning center.
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