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2021/07/20 - Ageing in the Digital Era
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Ageing in the Digital Era
Source UNECE, publié le 2021/07
The 21st Century is characterized by increasing digitalisation. As more and more everyday services move online, ‘offliners’ risk being excluded in an era that embraces fast-changing innovation in digital technology. This predominantly concerns older persons who are less digitally connected than youth who were born into the digital age. The accelerated digitalization during the COVID-19 pandemic has further emphasized these inequalities, as many older persons struggled to access essential goods and services - from online vaccination appointment registrations, to pensions, food and medication during lockdowns - if they could not access them online. Our dependence on digital technologies during the pandemic has therefore focused policy attention on the importance of digital inclusion.The latest UNECE Policy Brief on Ageing examines this ‘digital divide’ between generations and highlights policy priorities for digital inclusion of older persons. Between 2001 and 2019, emergency crises in the UNECE region affected an estimated 130 million people, injuring over 90 million, and making nearly 674,000 people homeless. Though generally disproportionately impacted by emergency crises, older men and women are often neglected in disaster risk reduction strategies and emergency responses. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of older persons carrying the burden of severe illness and mortality as well as of acute loneliness and isolation. As of September 2020, nearly 9 out of 10 COVID-19 related deaths reported in the UNECE region have been among adults aged 65 years and older. Disaster risk reduction and preparedness plans need to be "older persons friendly and inclusive" to prevent and mitigate the potentially devastating implications of emergency crises among them. The challenge is not only to protect older persons and ensure essential services provide for their needs, as part of the emergency response and recovery after crises, it is also to account for the diversity of this population group, recognize their capacities and harness their experiences to maximize the preparedness for and minimize the impact of emergencies.English