25 August 2011

Internet barriers put older Australians at risk

More than 40 per cent of older Australians say the internet is too expensive, putting them at risk of being excluded from important online health and financial services, according to new research.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) research shows seniors, particularly pensioners, are at risk of being left behind as businesses and governments shifted more services to the web.

“With the government and private sector spending billions on the National Broadband Network, we have to make sure that the internet can be used by all those who need it the most,” Dr Sandra Haukka said.

Dr Haukka's nationwide study, called Older Australians and the Internet, surveyed 149 members of National Seniors Australia. It also included in-depth interviews with seniors who did not use or rarely used the internet, including those who lived in urban, regional, rural and remote areas.

She said society's increasing reliance on the internet for commerce and services was leaving older Australians with low web skills unable to conduct business transactions, access services, find out about community events or use the internet to communicate with friends and family.

“There are serious negative impacts for those without access to it (the internet), such as the inability to access Centrelink, which is shifting more and more of its services online, or obtaining their health records from Australia's e-health record system when it becomes widely available in July 2012.”

Major findings in the report included:

• 53 per cent of participants said their interest in the internet was 'moderate' or 'above', while 46 per cent said their interest was 'nil' or 'low'.
• Almost two-thirds of participants said they had 'very low' internet skills.

“Many seniors told us they need one-on-one help, more cheap classes, equipment, a helpline and clear instructions,” Dr Haukka said.

The report is available here.

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Mature workers spotlight

The challenges faced by mature age workers in obtaining employment has been a focus in the media and elsewhere over the past week.

Papers presented to the Industrial and Organisational Psychology Conference confirm that many know that older Australians remain keen to work but attitudes and policies need to be flexible and supportive to make best use of the talent and experience of older workers.

Associate Professor Margaret Parkinson told the conference that whilst older workers say they want flexible working conditions and hours, this is more likely to reflect the desires of those in the upper end of the market (lawyers, doctors, financial specialists) and at the lower end such as hospitality and shift work because a big part of their ‘self-definition’ is about work.

Meanwhile people in the middle section have other ways of defining themselves and are often attracted to contracts rather than part time work.

A second paper presented at the conference by Hannes Zacher a lecturer in Psychology identified the increased significance of workers who have responsibility for caring for older parents.

An interesting conclusion from his research was that employees who believe the boss is supportive of this role, report better mental health and higher involvement in their work.

At another level National Seniors Michael O’Neill was part of a television report on the issue completed by The 7pm Project.

Michael's focus was the practical reality that the average length of time a person in their mid-sixties will be unemployed will be 62 weeks or 3 times longer than a person in their twenties.

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Lottery scams targeting older people

The Australian Bankers’ Association (ABA) is warning of lottery scams which are defrauding many older Australians.

Banks have reported to the ABA that criminals are sending unsolicited mail or emails advising that you have won a prize.

The criminals then instruct you to send a payment overseas or ask you to provide some personal details to ‘prove’ you are the correct winner and provide bank account details so the ‘prize’ can be sent.

This information is being sought in order to commit identity theft and possibly defraud your bank account.

Older Australians have been deceived by this scam and have written cheques for amounts ranging from $10 to $60 and have posted these cheques, together with the payment advice to the overseas address.

“The fact that these criminals are managing to convince old Australians in our communities to part with money that some can ill-afford and will never see again is particularly concerning,” said Steven Münchenberg, chief executive officer of the ABA.

To find out how to protect yourself read the tips click here.

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Media inquiry in Australia

After the fall-out of the News International phone hacking scandal in Britain, The Greens called for a public inquiry into Australia’s media.

To date, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has resisted calls for a wide ranging inquiry into media ownership and regulation citing no evidence of phone hacking by Australian media.

However pressure is mounting on the Federal Government to investigate the media especially as Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited owns 70 per cent of Australian newspapers.

Do you support an inquiry into Australia’s media?

Why or why not?

Have your say on the blog.