We want to run in-person educational sessions for older people (particularly women but not limited to) that focus on accessing the internet safely. We know that older people are at higher risk of social isolation and tend to have less experience with using the internet. Anecdotally we know that older people feel fear about using the internet- either due to horror stories from their friends and families of scams and hacks, or through personal bad experiences. So, we want to give them the skills and confidence to use the internet to alleviate the level of isolation that they currently suffer, increase their social participation and decrease levels of mental ill health due to loneliness and inaccessibility. The internet can be a fantastic resource to stay connected but it also has many risks - thus the right education is needed to safely navigate the virtual world.
