Mr. Kitano, aged 90, had been struggling to complete a government form online. It was essential for him to complete this form to avoid negatively impacting other aspects of his life.
Fortunately, our Digital Support service was able to offer a helping hand.
Mr Kitano as well as thousands of other people around the UK are classified as digitally excluded. This is because they struggle to access or use the internet, which makes it incredibly difficult and sometimes impossible for them to fill out online forms independently.
And with the UK Government’s transition to “digital by default”, essential government forms and processes that have moved online become inaccessible to these people.
“It's okay for young people, but for people like me – I’m 90 – this online business is very very challenging.”
Our Digital Support service exists to help people like Mr Kitano, and thanks to our in-house Digital Trainer, Richard, Mr Kitano was able to complete his online form through guided, one-to-one support.
Whilst people can choose to receive support over the phone or in-person at a community space, Mr Kitano’s reduced mobility as well as his reliance on carers throughout the day meant he found it highly beneficial that we were able to deliver the training in-person at his home. Our in-person delivery, especially within people’s homes, makes our digital support service accessible to all.
“It was nice to do it in person.”
To start with, Digital Trainer, Richard, set out to gain a thorough understanding of what Mr Kitano needed to do and what in particular he was struggling with. Once this was established, Richard was able to support Mr Kitano step-by-step. Having once been a journalist, Mr Kitano was naturally very curious and asked Richard questions so that he could grasp new digital skills. As part of the session, Richard also ensured that the online form was not only complete but filled out correctly to avoid it being rejected at a later stage.
“He explained what the form was for, was very clear, so thereafter there was no problem.”
With Richard’s support, Mr Kitano was able to successfully submit his government form. And although this meant that the digital support had come to an end, Mr Kitano, having befriended Richard, was hopeful that they’d see each other again:
“We had a nice chat, I hope to meet Richard again.”
Learn more about our services here: Free Support