Bengaluru: 88% seniors offline, HelpAge urges action

Bengaluru: HelpAge India marked World Elder Abuse Awareness Day by releasing a report exposing the widening digital divide among senior citizens.

Titled 'Understanding Inter-generational Dynamics & Perceptions on Ageing', it found 88% of intergenerational communication remains face-to-face. While 71% of elders use basic phones, only 41% own smartphones.

Just 13% access the internet or social media, and a mere 5% use online services like banking or health apps.

To address this, HelpAge India proposed youth-led programmes pairing tech-savvy youngsters with elders for digital literacy. It also urged corporates to hold intergenerational workshops, donate devices, and improve elder-friendly apps.

The event, held at the National College auditorium, Basavanagudi, featured a panel discussion on Bridging Generations, Building Futures.

Deputy Secretary C Balaram, M Prakashan, State Head (Karnataka), HelpAge India, and gerontologist Indira Jai Prakash attended the event.

Indira highlighted the elderly’s struggles with rapid digital changes and stressed the need for urgent literacy drives.

Balaram flagged rising cybercrimes against elders, claiming nearly 90% of victims are senior citizens.

His advice was blunt: "Always keep wealth in your name till your death — only then will the young look after you well."