The talk of the day is all about smart working and distance learning. As if the impact of the coronavirus on the lives of people mainly concerned workers and students, who need to rapidly transpose their professional and social activities onto a digital plane. What about elders who are forced to live alone for weeks on end? Could they not enjoy this digital transformation, too?
Elder centres are closed, and our digital literacy courses are suspended, but we have to find a way to interact with our elders. Distance learning is obviously not feasible, but there are surprises. One is the case of the incredible eighty-year-old Maria. Last year, she decided to overcome her fear of technology and participated in a digital literacy course held at Binario F in Rome (see Vagone FMD). Now, she can “find her way about” on-line.
Now that the lockdown is in effect in Italy, digital skills have come to her aid. Maria Teresa uses skype to speak with relatives and WhatsApp to keep in touch with her friends. Google has become a precious ally to learn more about Covid-19 and not become a victim of fake news.
And to prove all of this, we asked her to record her first video selfie. Ilaria Bonanni helped her, but from a distance with WhatsApp!
And here it is:
