Mary Bradly is the regional director of Age Concern, a charity that works with the over-50s.
As you may have read/heard in our interview with Ford Ennals, Digital UK see partner organisation vital for the smooth switch over from analogue TV to digital.
Age concern has been working with Digital UK as one of their strategic partners for 18 months, to the point of locating the Whitehaven Digital UK office within Age Concerns.
Why would Age Concern feel that they need to put their resources into this? TV is, for better or for worse, a vital lifeline for many people who cannot easily get out of their homes.
The younger member of Age Concern have rallied around and formed themselves in to ‘Digital Pals,’ going to the houses of the older members, installing the kit for them and talking them though how to use it.
Not only does this help with getting people adjusted with the digital TV, but it actually brings people back in contact with each other, strengthening the community.
In the conversation we also cover Age Concerns focus for future rollout – trying to get not just the single first TV set covered by support. Many of the people that they help _have_ to spend time in bed, making the second set vital to them.
Other subject discussed are the need to replace video cassette recorders for digital switch over and how elderly people have problems with many of the remote controls that are on the market today.
[audio:https://digital-lifestyles.info/media/audio/Mary-Bradley-Age-Concern.mp3]