ICT use is for all regardless of one’s old age

ARE you one of the elderly that arte excluded from ICT use and still use traditional methods of communicating with people? Are you techno-phobic and find it difficult to learn something new? Is there an age limit to ICT usage? Not at all, it’s only the youngest who call the older generations too old. ICT knows there is no age limit while using it. In fact there are many people who are older than you, and who are still benefiting from ICT.
The Web podia Computer Dictionary defines ICT which stands for Information and Communication Technology as the study or business of developing and using technology to process information and aid communications. In other words, if you are using technology to process information, or you are using technology to support communications, then you are using ICT. Many of the-day-to-day technologies we take for granted incorporates ICT. The mobile phone is such one example, the second is the computer, Fax and Email at your office or at the internet café is another example. The examples are endless and the probability that you have used ICT before a
nd not only once, but that you use it regularly, is quite high.
Old people have also an opportunity to make used of the ICT gadgets. No matter how old they are with grey hairs on their head. ICT is for all people of all walks of life
When you buy a burger at a fast food chain, your order is taken in a computer terminal. The terminal is used to process information. At a clothing store, the labels are scanned and the information is used not only for your purchase and for inventory replenishment, but also for marketing campaigns again processing information. It’s important to recognize and understand ICT so that you can use it more effectively in your daily life. The more you become aware of the technology around you, the greater its value will be to you. The fact that the elderly are intimidated by technology and that therefore they are not going to be productive members in the computer age, just because one has grey hairs on head, does not mean one cannot learn to think in terms of bits and bytes. Such ideas are gone as far as ICT is concerned. In fact a great market opportunity is being misused here.

An old woman from Iramba village in Bunda district can be seen seated besides her house while communicating in a mobile phone with her daughter who is in Mwanza city.
At your age whereby your children are all grown up, there is money and time to spend on newest technology, especially when it can make your life easier and allow you to accomplish tasks much faster. Above that though, for the elderly, it’s not only a question of doing the same thing more quickly or in a simpler way with the aid of ICT. It’s also a question of being able to perform tasks independently which would be impossible without ICT. Another step could then be introducing ICT into your life in a way that is directly beneficial to you. For instance, a computer in your home could be used to type your work, manage your business and monitor your finances. With a connection to the internet, you can instantly communicate with people who are far from you, or download a wealth of information and it doesn’t matter how old are you. For those who have operated quite effectively at a slower pace, you can without anxiety, turn off the machines and then enjoy a spectacular sunset, immerse yourself in a novel or hold a child in your lap and tell her a tale.