The district council and youngsters from Exmouth have teamed up to help pensioners learn about new technology with permanent ‘Silver Surfer’ sessions.
East Devon District Council’s (EDDC) housing support services (HSS) team hopes the new scheme will help pensioners live independently for longer while narrowing the generation gap.
The district council said due to growing demand from residents asking for support with computers, the HSS was keen to set up a permanent arrangement with regular IT sessions for sheltered tenants.
The council said sessions will take place on the last Friday of each month, with between 10 and 20 people attending.
Support Services Manager Amy Gilbert said: “The first session took place last Friday and was extremely successful. We want to encourage more of our older tenants to use computers and take advantage of new technology.
“A surprising number of older people now have computers and, by encouraging them to maximise their use, we are helping them to live longer and more independently in their own homes.
“After forming an excellent partnership with Brixington Primary School this year, when they opened up their IT suite to us for Silver Surfers’ Day, we have been working with them to set up a regular monthly session.
“This will involve Year 6 children at the school spending an afternoon assisting our residents with computer support.”
The next session will be held on Friday October 29. For more information contact EDDC.
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