Introducing computers and the Internet to older users: findings from the Care OnLine project

This paper reports the findings from a two-year pilot project called Care OnLine (COL). The COL project has introduced computers and the Internet into the homes of 50 elderly and vulnerable volunteers and provided shared Internet access at five shared schemes housing older people across the Market Harbrorough district of Leicestershire. A specific web portal was designed that was geared towards older and vulnerable people and provided information about the different services available to them, as well as links to a variety of websites. All the volunteers were provided with training in using computers and the Internet, and were interviewed regarding their experiences. Findings related to their attitudes towards, and experiences of, computers and the Internet are reported. The impact of having access to computers and the Internet on the volunteers lives and some lessons learnt from providing such a scheme are also discussed.