October 1 Is International Day of Older Persons

October 1 marks the International Day of Older Persons, which aims to protect and better realize the rights of older people.

The United Nations chose Digital Equity for All Ages as a theme of 2021, which affirms the need for access and meaningful participation in the digital world by older persons.

The Internet, mobile communication, artificial intelligence and other technologies have become part of people's daily lives. However, unfortunately, older people, compared to other groups of society, either do not have access to technology at all, or cannot take full advantage of these opportunities, nor do they have the necessary skills. This barrier prevents them from fully participating in social, cultural, economic and political life. The pandemic has made this challenge even more apparent and increased the social exclusion of older people. In the process of vaccination against Covid 19, when for a long time the registration of those wishing to be vaccinated had been done only online, through a website, older people and especially those living in rural areas did not have access to this service. As a result, the proportion of older people among the vaccinated is very low in Georgia.

Unfortunately, the steps taken by the State do not meet the needs of older people in the country. In order to overcome the challenges in the field of digital inclusion of older people in the country, it is necessary for the State to realize the importance of this issue and take appropriate measures to overcome stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination related to the use of technology by older people.

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