Help older people learn basic IT skills

Age Action’s Getting Started programme helps older people build the digital skills they need to stay connected, independent, and engaged in today’s world.

Many older people face barriers when it comes to using technology — from lacking confidence to not having someone to ask when they get stuck. Getting Started addresses this by offering free, one-to-one training, delivered by volunteers, either in person or remotely. Sessions are tailored to the learner’s needs, whether that means sending emails, using WhatsApp, shopping online, or accessing essential services.

In 2024 alone, over 4,000 older learners across Ireland took part in the programme. Feedback from participants shows how transformative it can be: people report feeling more connected to family and friends, more able to manage day-to-day tasks, and less isolated. For many, learning digital skills is about much more than using a phone or computer — it’s about regaining confidence and independence.

Thanks to the generosity of supporters, Age Action can continue expanding this vital service, training volunteers, and reaching people who might otherwise be excluded from the digital world. Every donation helps ensure that older people have the opportunity to learn at their own pace and feel part of their communities in a rapidly changing society.

When Dorothy, the 2011 Age Action Silver Surfer Award winner, commented on one of our Facebook posts, we immediately contacted her to catch up. Now 90, she’s keeping up with technology—maybe a little too much, she said!

Her husband, 91, nominated her for the award. She has been married for 66 years and calls him “ahead of his time.” The clincher for winning the award was that she had successfully sold her own house online.

These days, she lives in Dublin, where the internet is an important connection to the world for her. She is no longer good on her feet, so she buys everything online, including crochet supplies for her favourite hobby. Through an online crochet group, she has the chats and connections she would miss out on otherwise. With her grandchildren in the UK, the digital contact with them is priceless.

"It’s never too late to start," she said. She believes Age Action’s Getting Started classes can be life-changing for those who take them. “They can open up a whole new world —shopping, connecting, feeling part of something. I think they are absolutely fantastic.”