Demand for services that provide training about tech for seniors has increased during the pandemic. Dreamstime/TNS
Six months ago, Cindy Sanders, 68, bought a computer so she could learn how to email and have Zoom chats with her great-grandchildren.
It’s still sitting in a box, unopened.
“I didn’t know how to set it up or how to get help,” said Sanders, who lives in Philadelphia and has been extremely careful during the coronavirus pandemic.
Like Sanders, millions of older adults are newly motivated to get online and participate in digital offerings after being shut inside, hoping to avoid the virus, for more than a year. But many need assistance and aren’t sure where to get it.
Smartphone apps and connected devices are likely to see a significant growth as online and remote consultations with doctors during the Covid-19 pandemic become more routine. Dreamstime/TNS
Earlier in the pandemic it was vital to see doctors over platforms like Zoom or FaceTime when in-person appointments posed risks of coronavirus exposure. Insurers were forced – often for the first time – to reimburse for all sorts of virtual medical visits and generally at the same price as in-person consultations.
By April 2020, one US study found, telemedicine visits already accounted for 13% of all medical claims compared with 0.15% a year earlier. And Covid-19 hadn’t seriously hit much of the country yet. By May, Johns Hopkins’ neurology department was conducting 95% of patient visits virtually compared with just 10 such visits weekly the year before, for example.