The case of Lorenzo G. (fictitious name) is quite common. He is 80 years old and lives in a retirement home. He impatiently awaits the monthly visit of his grandson, who takes the opportunity to submit all his technological questions to him. The boy, a digital native, explains how to send a wasp, open an email and save a new phone number on your mobile. Lorenzo is one of the many elderly people without digital knowledge. Without his grandson, he would be disconnected from the hyper-technological world around him.

Bridging the gap between rampant digitization and the gradual aging of the population is more than just a necessity. According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), a third of Spaniards will be over 65 in 2050. Today, 28.6% of this age group do not use the Internet frequently.

Basic digital training for the elderly represents the first step, but applied technology offers multiple evolutions for healthy aging. New software they promote autonomy and cognitive development, avoid isolation and provide leisure and learning experiences.

Castilla-La Mancha, pioneer in wellness technology

One of the conclusions of the sectoral conference, held in October 2022, assured that Castilla-La Mancha is the one that best executes the Next Generation EU European funds in terms of digitalisation. “In total, 7.6 million euros of these funds finance our ambitious Digital autonomy plan», approves Juan Alfonso Ruiz Molina, Minister of Finance Juan Alfonso Ruiz Molina, Minister of Finance and Public Administration of the Autonomous Community.

Nearly 8,000 devices will transform the centers under the Ministry of Social Affairs into digital learning spaces. Most (157) are centers for the elderly, and the Plan extends to 32 others for the disabled, two for minors and ten for various care. In addition to 756 computers and 5,670 digital tablets, 581 virtual reality glasses will arrive in the centers to transmit trips and other experiences to people with disabilities.

The Plan’s devices include fourteen Iris-Bond eye-tracking systems, essential for people unable to use speech or other means of communication.

A service of 29 technicians guarantees training and assistance in the use of all the devices, solving doubts and incidents remotely and on site. In addition, the Plan includes the software Resiplus which facilitates the management of centers freeing their employees from administrative burdens to focus on care.

Isolation is one of the biggest problems for older people

José Luis Castaño, educational consultant at SMART Technologies

The Canadian manufacturer of interactive screens SMART Technologies is an essential element of this digital revolution in the Spanish region. In addition to executing the plan as a whole, the company provides 419 interactive panels with software Created to promote personal autonomy and active aging in residents with stimulating therapies for body and mind. This technology trains caregivers and occupational therapists to use the devices with residents.

Super screens that change lives

“Neither in Spain nor in the rest of the world has an action like that of Castilla-La Mancha been seen,” says José Luis Castaño, educational consultant at SMART Technologies for Iberia and LATAM. “Overseas, we see some centers doing this on their own initiative, but this is the first time that cutting-edge technology has reached all public residences in an area and is regulated by a government.”

The expert highlights three aspects of interactive panels that help improve the lives of older people. The first, purely physical: “The motivation to get up, walk and move their arms, because they are going to touch the screen or paint with digital colors. An 80 year old needs mobility. The recovery and gymnastic exercises that we now see in Spanish residences are not enough: an elderly person sitting on a chair moving his arms at random”.

Second, mental care. “For example, with applications that make the brain work to remember things, games to associate words with sounds to associate an object with what you hear. These are ways to slow the decline of cognitive abilities which, in addition, provide new experiences for residents.

Finally, José Luis Castaño emphasizes the improvement of social relations. And not only because it is more convenient to make a video call to the family via webcam and be able to see it on the big screen. “Isolation is one of the biggest problems for older people,” says Castaño. “Collaborating or competing with other residents adds to the activity with the company, creating a community like classic bingo did. There’s a pottery-making app that rates each player based on how long they spend at finish a jar Or interactive picture-to-word games in which several players work together It may be difficult for one older person to read, but two or three help each other: one moves the text; another, the image to join it to the word…”.

The best is yet to come

Although the scope of the digital autonomy plan is unprecedented, the relationship between SMART Technologies and the government of Castilla-La Mancha goes further. In the agreement signed by the two institutions, the company extends its commitment to train professionals at the center in the use of new tools. In addition, it will expand its Center for Technology Applied to Education in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo). With a substantial investment in the hiring of programmers and developers, it will build a true Center of Technology Applied to Social Welfare.

Develop software for interactive panels with the elderly residents themselves, it will be closer. Or discover any new solution that benefits active aging.

José Luis Castaño highlights a challenge for the projected technology center: “One of the future keys we are working on is to include artificial intelligence in social welfare. It would be very useful if the application used by a resident could provide data on his condition to the psychologist or his occupational therapist. This can be achieved with artificial intelligence. Or know, thanks to a webcam and having the necessary permissions, how many times has this person smiled. These are resources that are already applied in the field of education. Why not use them for social welfare?

With initiatives like this, the Lawrence G.. more dynamic and satisfying times await you in the immediate future.