Charity urges action to get pensioners online

Healthcare News
29/08/2008
Unequal net provision results in sidelining of sectors of society, it is suggested.

A leading charity has urged the government and private industry to take action so that more older people can gain access to the internet.

David Sinclair, head of policy at Help the Aged, stated that "absolutely no progress" has been made in the area.

He added that a lack of access to the flow of information offered by the internet results in an exclusion from the rest of society.

Mr Sinclair pointed out that the internet can help consumers save hundreds of pounds on their utility bills, food and a range of other goods and services – meaning that it is an unfair marketplace for those who are unable to obtain such better deals.

"The government needs to invest in education and access to hardware, or see a technological divide enforcing these economic inequalities," he asserted.

Help the Aged recently stated that new research which shows there are more people in the UK aged over 60 than under 18 should be celebrated.

But the charity's special advisor Mervyn Kohler added that the figures should make policy-makers sit up and take notice.

Please click here to find a care home for elderly care.