Nan Bosler

Transcription

Today we're talking with Nan Bosler. She's one of Australia's experts in the way that older Australians use digital communications and computers. Nan, in your experience, how are older Australians changing their communications needs? >> Older Australians are changing all the time. I think all age groups are, but this digital age is, is really very attractive for a lot of older people. We can communicate in ways we never thought possible before. And if you can keep in touch with family and friends and actually say by Skype see them. That brand new great grandchild is not a letter three weeks after the child's born. You can actually be right there and part of the whole thing. So communication is a marvel, it's magic. >> Do you encourage older Australians to embrace digital technology? >> I do. I think it's really important that we can keep up with what's, what's available for us. I know a lot of us are hesitant and I can understand that quite easily. And, we also like options. So we find something that suites us, we learn a little bit more about it. We realize we don't know much at all, and then we try and find a little bit of help. It might be through a seniors computer club with Australian Senior Computer Club Associations or a Broadband for Seniors kiosk. It's a fabulous government program running to provide free access to internet training for older Australians. There's a tech savvy program in NSW. There are stacks of ways that you can have to get help. Not so sure about the youngsters though. Sometimes they're a little bit too quick, and they seem to understand it just intuitively. So, you know, if I were to say to a, to a grandchild, how do you do such and such? They'd say, oh, it's easy Nana, this, this, this, this, and the other. >> It's true. [LAUGH] >> And it's done. And you think, what did you do first? [LAUGH] >> What's your favorite device? >> I'm a bit old-fashioned. I like my computer, I like emails and I love searching the Internet. They're my favorites. >> And what about mobile communications? >> I do have a mobile phone and I use it when I absolutely have to. I don't store my you know, all of my information on that mobile phone because it's not as important to me. >> Our research shows that about a quarter of Australians aged over 65 have a fixed line phone only, no mobile. >> Well, yeah that doesn't surprise me. Because remember, we grew up with an ordinary telephone on the land, on the, on the wall. So that's, that's the communication we always, always used. So these other forms of communication had been added to that plain out, ordinary phone. Telephone. And, so we like our land lines. But you know what, I think there might be a few more of those Seniors who actually do have a mobile phone. Because often we will have a charged up mobile at the bottom of our bag. We don't use it much. It's there in case we need it and we just don't tell anyone we've got one. So maybe there are more than you think. >> Why is that do you think? >> Partly habit. And I also think that we see marvelous things being done with the mobile phone or tablet. And we think, oh, that's fabulous, I'd love to do that. And then they think, oh, how much would it cost us? And if they can't get a clear idea of how much that would cost them to use, they back off. And they still think, that'd be fabulous but they don't do anything about it. >> So do you think that the love affair with the fixed line telephone will change? >> I think it will. Everything changes in time, and that's for all age groups, not just older people. There are several of my grandchildren who don't have a landline anymore, they only have mobile devices. But all of the older ones all still have landlines. [LAUGH] But it will change. Everything changes and we have to move with the changes or we get left behind. Fantasic. Nan, thank you very much for joining us today. >> A delight. [SOUND]