Janice Price, 78, is retired and lives with her husband in Maidstone, South East of England.
Janice used to work in the construction industry before becoming a charity project coordinator. She likes maths and is great at using spreadsheets, usually to manage her bank accounts from her computer at home.
She wanted to get online for convenience and to avoid being left behind however, one of the biggest worries Janice had was trusting websites. She also wanted to use mobile apps but was concerned about their security and didn’t really know how to use them.
“Everything is done on apps these days, not having the banking app was a problem for me, I wanted it but didn’t trust them or know how to use them”
Janice originally saw the digital helpline service on the Age Concern website. It got her interested in finding out more, however, she didn’t pursue it.
It wasn’t until Janice had an accident that she saw the real value in being online. Janice had fallen in her garden, with fear that she had broken her wrist and leg!
When Janice returned from the hospital, she needed to recover for several weeks, meaning she couldn’t go upstairs to use her computer. At this point, Janice realised that if she could use her phone to access the internet and apps, she could not only view her bank account but use other apps to make her life easier – not just during her recovery, but in the future.
When Janice recovered, she called the digital helpline where she received hands-on support through, We Are Digital, who work in partnership with Lloyds Banking Group to deliver the service.
We Are Digital’s trainer, Madeleine Wolf, gave Janice 1-2-1 digital support and instruction. This tailored support has made Janice feel digitally confident.
“Madeleine called my house phone so I could navigate around my mobile phone with her direction”
With her trainer’s help, Janice learned how to download several mobile apps including the Lloyds Banking app.
“I learned how to download apps on my mobile phone, it is great, including the Lloyds Banking app! I downloaded the Lloyds Banking app and I learned how to use it. I can check my balance and look at all my accounts”
Janice can now keep an eye on her bank accounts and easily manage them from the app, which is very convenient and puts her in control wherever she is.
The training has helped Janice become confident in using her mobile phone and apps. Janice has no worries about apps anymore, she has learned how to check apps to ensure they are safe before downloading them, this is very important to avoid being a victim of a scam.
“Madeleine was lovely and patient with me. She didn’t make me feel like I didn’t know how to do something, the training has really helped and has given me the confidence I needed…”
Due to the current climate with the cost of living increasing dramatically, Janice has downloaded apps to help her save money like the supermarket’s apps where she checks and compares the prices to help manage her food spending.
"I don’t have any worries about downloading apps anymore. I have downloaded the Aldi and Asda app by myself and check the prices on them”
“I’m very confident in using mobile phone apps and downloading them. I have started to help my husband and show him how to use and download the apps”
