Helping hands unlock mysteries of smartphone

A social worker shows seniors at a neighborhood in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, how to use a smartphone. (MENG DELONG / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Liu Qingzhong, who is in his 70s, used to feel embarrassed when he wanted to pay water and electricity bills, buy railway tickets or book a hospital appointment, because he didn't know how to use a smartphone.

Sensing that he was being "left behind", he decided to master the new technology.

I’ve experienced similar challenges, so I understand how hard it can be for older people to use smartphones and for them to understand how these digital devices function

Liu Qingzhong, retired engineer in Beijing

"I had my first smartphone about eight years ago, but it can be difficult for older people to understand the instructions," Liu said.

"I had to ask my children or people who had the time to help me, which was not very convenient or efficient. It was also difficult for me to use the phone, especially with my eyesight possibly fading, poor hearing and bad memory."

Liu noticed that, like himself, many elderly people who were clearly struggling to keep pace with the digital transformation used to pay with cash and make medical appointments by visiting a hospital and speaking to a receptionist.

He once saw a man in his 60s living in his neighborhood in the western Beijing district of Shijingshan remove the battery from his electric bike and take it home to charge every day.

Liu wondered why the man failed to use charging points in the neighborhood, later learning that it was because he didn't know how to use his smartphone to pay for the service.

"I've experienced similar challenges, so I understand how hard it can be for older people to use smartphones and for them to learn how these digital devices function," Liu said.

He taught himself to master his smartphone in 2017, and now uses it to make calls, send text messages, shop online, book tickets for events and visit social media platforms.

Liu, a former engineer, wanted to share his experience of learning to use a smartphone. He compiled a list of instructions for older users, along with his colleague Li Guangyuan. Both of them work at the Sailande Social Work Office, a nonprofit organization offering community services in Shijingshan.

The instructions they drew up for older people run to about 100 pages and include pictures and big print for easy reading.

Li Guangyuan, a full-time worker with the office in his early 40s, collaborated with Liu Qingzhong on writing some of the instructions for using a smartphone.

A senior in Yangzhou notes down instructions for using a smartphone. (MENG DELONG / FOR CHINA DAILY)

They selected apps and programs commonly used in daily life to include in the instructions, including hospital registration apps, WeChat and apps for booking tickets for events.

Li said:"Liu asked questions about using a smartphone from the point of view of a senior, and I answered his questions by providing simple instructions. Then, we both discussed ways to explain these instructions to other seniors."

He added that it took them about six months to finish the compilation.

"It is easy for them (seniors) to forget the instructions, and it all depends on them gradually remembering ways to use these apps through practice," Li said.

Since 2017, Liu and Li have taught seniors in more than 80 communities in Shijingshan to use smartphones.

Initially, few people attended their classes, but the number of students rose gradually, especially after the pandemic emerged early last year.

"Older people found it hard to adapt to smartphones being used widely to access services aimed at containing and stopping the virus spreading," Liu said.

For example, digital QR health codes, which show a person's travel history, are required to enter venues such as shopping malls, supermarkets and banks. Before going to the hospital, patients need to make appointments on mobile phone apps.

With social distancing encouraged in the fight against the pandemic, people are tending to stay home more, which has led to rising demand for online activities, such as shopping and communication.

Liu said,"There appeared to be an urgent need for older people to learn to keep up with the times by using smartphones to perform essential tasks such as making medical appointments or talking to their children through platforms such as WeChat."

Yang Ran, who works at the Sailande Social Work Office, said: "We not only offer help for older people in Shijingshan who want to learn about using smartphones, but also to those throughout Beijing. We've realized that this need is rising. It all depends on how willing seniors are to commit to learning."

Young volunteers in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, help a senior to use his phone. (JI YUAN / CHINA DAILY)

Important to learn

Yang Ping, 65, a retired woman living in the Yingtaoyuan community in Xicheng district, Beijing, said, "I still prefer to get news from the newspaper and talk to my friends and family by phone, but it's important for older people to keep learning new things."

During Spring Festival, Yang received a new smartphone from her son as a gift. Using it to browse photos she took of her family during the holiday, she said she was still learning to use the device.

Li Qingling, a community worker in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, said: "For young people, smartphones are an essential part of their lives. They are constantly checking their devices on buses, the subway, or in restaurants.

"However, old people can take a lot of time learning to use smartphones. Some of them even reject the devices, saying they are too complicated."

Li Qingling works with the Chunjiang community in the Wenhui Street Economic and Technological Development Zone in Yangzhou.

In December, the community launched free classes for people age 65 and older to learn to use smartphones. With about 10 volunteers from local universities as teachers, the classes are held twice a week. More than 30 seniors have joined the sessions each week.

"We decided to launch the classes because after the pandemic started early last year many older people came to us asking about smartphone use. Some of their children couldn't travel home to see them, so they needed to talk to them through video chat platforms," Li Qingling said.

The community has about 10,000 residents, 40 percent of whom are age 65 or older.

"Seniors' needs in daily life are complex and diverse. It will take a collective effort by the government, families and society to help them enjoy the convenience of a digitized world," Li Qingling said.

According to the China Development Research Foundation, it is estimated that people age 65 and older will account for 14 percent of the country's population next year, and by 2050, China could have 500 million people age 60 and older.

A report from the China Internet Network Information Center shows that as of June, 940 million Chinese were using smartphones to go online, and 10.3 percent of those users were age 60 or older. From March to June, the number of senior users age 60 or older rose by 36 million.

The government is aware of the problems facing seniors.

In November, the State Council, China's Cabinet, outlined measures to help the elderly make better use of smart technology to access medical treatment, recreational activities and public services.

For example, on March 3, the authorities in Changzhou, Jiangsu, introduced a series of measures at public venues, such as railway stations, parks and banks, to provide traditional forms of service to seniors, including cash payments and physical tickets.

According to the website of the Standing Committee of the Guangzhou Municipal People's Congress, users of public services, such as transportation, water, electricity and gas, are not required to pay digitally.

Apps for news portals, social media platforms such as Sina Weibo and Toutiao, medical services and the travel agency Ctrip have been earmarked as the first to be updated with "senior-friendly" versions. Authorities have also been asked to set up a long-term mechanism by the end of next year to mitigate the impact digitalization has had on the elderly.

Technology companies have been targeting seniors, recognizing the huge financial potential. Products with larger app icons, bigger text, simple displays, voice-assisted technology and emergency buttons have been designed for this market.

Li Jingxin (right) from the Sailande Social Work Office demonstrates smartphone use to the elderly in Shijingshan district, Beijing. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Program launched

In Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, the Yangfan student club at Xi'an Jiaotong University launched a program in 2013 aimed at helping seniors bridge the digital divide and better integrating them into a smart society.

The program has helped hundreds of retirees from the university, particularly those with no children living with them and who lack basic smartphone and computer skills.

Qu Fengyu, 83, a retired chemistry professor, is one of those attending such sessions each week.

"As the pandemic struck, such skills became essential and it was impossible to live without them," said Qu, whose two children are in the United States.

Her past experience of failing to register online for a doctor's appointment made her determined to learn.

As part of the program, each weekend about 30 student volunteers, mostly undergraduates, meet and help seniors overcome difficulties they encounter in an increasingly digitalized society.

Liu Kaitian, head of the club, said the program has expanded over the years, from computer skills, to smartphone use, scanning QR codes and using apps.

"We all have elderly members of our families and we will grow old ourselves. Seniors shouldn't be abandoned in such a tech-empowered world," he said.

Qu has now mastered shopping online, the use of various apps and knows how to scan QR codes.

"It's not easy to learn at such an age, but the convenience gained is worth the effort. More important, I feel better connected with these warm-hearted students," she said.

One of the volunteers, Yang Xu, a sophomore with the university's artificial intelligence department, said: "They (seniors) forget quickly and ask the same question repeatedly. Those coming to us are usually open-minded and eager to learn. New technology should provide them with access, rather than a barrier, to a better life."

Xu has become quite close with Qu, whom he calls "Grandma Qu". "After a while, we developed a bond and she shares her wisdom with me," he said.

During a two-hour class, Xu even gave her a massage to alleviate back pain after Qu had remained sitting for a long time.

Shen Hongkun, a junior student at the university's management school who joined the program as a freshman, said the university's neighborhood community is home to 4,000 retirees, many of whom have children living elsewhere in China or overseas.

"Our services, as well as the companionship, bring positive changes to seniors' lives. We feel good about helping them," Shen said.

However, he added that the program can only reach a small number of seniors, who also need care and support from society as a whole.

"Seniors could struggle to cope with daily 'smart' routines that are second nature to younger people," Shen said, suggesting that services tailored for the elderly should be launched at public facilities.

He added that smartphone and app developers should also develop functions that seniors can understand and use.

Liu Xiumei, 70, a retiree from the university, said she could not agree more.

She joined the program last year, largely as a result of the pandemic emerging.

"I didn't know how to scan a health QR code, so I could not use buses or visit a shopping center," she said.

Previously, she used her smartphone mainly to chat with friends on WeChat or to watch short videos.

"With the arrival of the pandemic, a smartphone has become an essential part of life, although I initially found it quite hard to master all the functions," Liu Xiumei said.

Now, she is happy with her phone, and is learning to edit videos and navigate with GPS.

"The outbreak is under control and I'm planning to travel in the spring," she added.

Contact the writers at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn