People over 65 and those left behind: Participating in social life via the internet and the like is becoming increasingly difficult for retirees in our midst.
“Why should I be worse off when I get older than when I was younger?” Heidi R. (name changed by the editors) is 80 years old and has to suffer again. Like every year, the pensioner awaits the calculation of her widow’s pension, as usual by post.
But this year the mailbox remains empty. The only response Heidi gets from her insurance company’s customer service team: “Read more online.” But that is impossible for the 80-year-old because the pensioner, like many other people her age, does not have the internet.
“We elderly people are simply forgotten”
However, it is not the first time that seniors have been disadvantaged by digitalization. The clearly desperate pensioner tells the “Krone” that she had to forgo the repair bonus as a result. “I find that incomprehensible. “We are simply forgotten,” says the 80-year-old. “Their” financially strong group is large: 1.81 million residents of Austria were 64 years or older in January.
“Age Discrimination”
According to Statistics Austria, about 78.7 percent of 65 to 74 year olds in Austria surf the Internet – what it looks like in the older age groups is unclear. It is clear that older people are increasingly at risk of exclusion. Age discrimination has increased since the rise of digitalization, warns Ingrid Korosec, president of the Austrian Seniors’ Association: “Anyone who is not naturally tech-savvy or lucky enough to have family support is increasingly disadvantaged or even excluded. is therefore discriminated against.”
Appeal by letter to Gewessler
In a letter to the responsible Minister of Green Affairs, Leonore Gewessler (see excerpt below), she appeals: “I urgently appeal to you to also offer the application options in analogue form.”
Although digitalization is certainly an advantage for the older generation, coercion is unreasonable. According to Korosec, analogue alternatives to digital offerings in the public sector will have to emerge in the next 10 to 15 years.
Although this should be a given, Korosec has to criticize politics again this year: retirees like Heidi have to do it again without the renovation bonus, which should have been available to every citizen at the beginning of this year. Because this can only be requested online.
Hannah Neudeck, Kronen Zeitung
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
