Retired IT professionals and other IT-savvy senior citizens are putting their skills to good use to help their compatriots with IT troubleshooting, under a new Silver IT Care initiative launched on 1 October.
Announced by Ms Sim Ann, Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information and Ministry of Education, during the opening of the seventh Silver Infocomm Day (SID) on 21 September, the initiative is the result of a collaboration involving the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), Organisation of Senior Volunteers (RSVP) and The Council for Third Age.

Silver IT Care aims to provide a dedicated senior-friendly IT helpdesk which the silver community can approach for assistance in solving technical infocomm problems such as hardware or software issues. The first level of support involves trouble-shooting over the phone. If the problem is not resolved, seniors can bring in their faulty computers to RSVP at Bishan Junction 8 to get them fixed.

Mr Sunny Chan, Chairman of RSVP’s Senior Volunteer Training Centre and its Cyberguide Programme, observed that traditional service centres usually ask a host of questions before someone can register to seek help with his or her computer, and this sometimes turns the seniors off. “By providing this Silver IT Care helpdesk, the seniors know that at the other end of the line are seniors who are trying to reach out to help them. Once they are connected with the helpdesk, they will have procedures and service to help them to resolve the IT problems.”

So far, 20 seniors have been trained as call agents for the helpdesk, which is being managed by senior volunteers from RSVP. Among them was Mr Donald Cheong, 63, who was an IT helpdesk supervisor with a local telecom company before he retired. Mr Cheong found it meaningful to be able to volunteer his IT knowledge to help his peers. He said it would be easier for seniors to approach the Silver IT Care helpdesk because they would be able to communicate their needs more easily. “It is much easier for us seniors to understand the seniors and their IT problems. Younger persons somehow do not have the patience or find it difficult to explain computer terms to the elderly people,” he observed.

Mr Mohamed Sujak, 64, who had brought his laptop for servicing during a mobile IT clinic conducted at SilverACE @ Lengkok Bahru in September, echoed this view. “I feel more comfortable seeking advice on computer issues with the senior citizens who are around my age, compared to asking my younger friends as they are always working and may not have time to look at my computer issues,” he said. An arts instructor, Mr Sujak uses the computer daily to check the GeBIZ (Government Electronics Business) portal for opportunities to teach visual art in schools.

The one-day mobile IT clinic gave seniors the opportunity to attend an IT workshop and bring in their laptops to be serviced at no charge. Mr Tony Thow, 64, appreciated the fact that it was held near his home, as he was having slight difficulties with physical mobility after suffering from a stroke. Mr Thow, who could not get his computer to connect to the Internet, and did not know how to make use of the new Windows 8 operating system, had these issues resolved with the help of senior volunteers at the clinic. “With the Internet connection, I am able to look for jobs and download music. I am really thankful to the volunteers for their help.”

Infocomm activities for seniors were also available but on a much larger scale at this year’s SID, which took place over one week and was held at three venues – ITE College Central, ITE College West and Temasek Polytechnic. SID comprises hands-on training workshops offered in all four national languages, exhibitions and talks featuring the latest in infocomm lifestyle trends.

The Silver Infocomm Curriculum was enhanced this year with the introduction of two new infocomm courses to help seniors perform tasks such as managing their CPF accounts and applying for passports online, and to use cloud computing-enabled services such as Dropbox to send and share photographs with their families and friends. There were also hands-on tablet courses on iOS, Android and Microsoft operating systems.

To celebrate the active ICT lifestyles of senior citizens, Ms Sim also presented awards to 24 active silver infocomm advocates who were recognised as Silver Infocomm Wellness Ambassadors for their efforts in the adoption and promotion of ICT. “The Government remains committed to equipping seniors with IT knowledge and skills to improve their quality of life, as they remain connected in today’s digital age and lead an active lifestyle,” said Ms Sim.

Organised by IDA together with Institutes of Higher Learning, industry partners and the community, this year’s SID attracted some 5,000 seniors. SID is organised under the umbrella of IDA’s Silver Infocomm Initiative, which was launched in November 2007 to bridge the digital divide among senior citizens aged 50 and above by addressing differences in educational background, language and infocomm competencies. As of August 2013, more than 77,000 infocomm training places for seniors have been filled through workshops and courses conducted during SID and Inter-generational IT Bootcamps, and at Silver Infocomm Junctions across Singapore.