Gavin Williams, nbn Chief Development Officer for Regional & Remote and Living Connected Founder and CEO Helen Hasan. Photo supplied
High-speed internet and broadband services are critical to building a connected future, said Helen Hasan, founder and CEO of Living Connected.
Helen emphasizes that the synergy of technology, services, knowledge and people is essential for creating inclusive and empowered communities, driving both social and economic progress.
“It’s really important that people can use technology, especially for health,” Helen said.
“Instead of having to drive to an appointment, they can access it online and get information on how to manage their own health.
“Not only does this save them money, but it also saves the government money in the long term as people can stay at home for longer rather than moving into aged care facilities and services can also be offered more cheaply online.”
Living Connected is a non-profit organization that provides services for the social well-being of older people through digital inclusion. In addition, Living Connected realizes that more education is needed to help people access banking services online.
“When a bank closes they just tell people there is a branch down the road without teaching or encouraging online learning,” Helen said.
The service currently offers support with drop-in sessions and home visits along the NSW south coast, from north Wollongong to Batemans Bay and Moruya and Bega. They also work inland in Goulburn and Bundanoon.
As the nbn network expands across the country, Helen hopes that Living Connected will grow with it.
“Now that we can improve coverage in regional areas with the NBN, we have the opportunity to connect more people online and allow them to use online services,” says Helen.
“Where there are fewer people it is more of an effort to get there to help them, but it is the people who need the help most and who benefit most from being able to access services online without having to to travel.”
Living Connected grew out of a small research project Helen undertook thirteen years ago to learn how older people interacted with technology.
The nbn is improving coverage in regional areas to allow more people to connect and use online services. Photo Shutterstock
It started with sessions asking people what they would like to learn and it became so popular that it soon became an organization.
Regional Australians are using more data than ever, with internet use set to increase over the next decade, changing the world and the way we live.
Today, the service helps people with all aspects of technology, from setting up new phones, connecting smartwatches, transferring SIM cards, sorting photos, making video calls, using Word documents – basically everything.
“We help people with everything they want to learn, our main focus now is to help people use online healthcare services, such as the pharmacy and the GP, with the recommendation to stay home if you are sick. You can only do that if you know how to use them technology,” Helen said.
While education is central to Living Connected, close contacts are also made within the service.
“The whole team enjoys and gets a lot of satisfaction from what we do and often become friends with the customers,” said Helen.
“There are often connections between generations, which is really great. We had a young volunteer who helped a lady learn how to stay connected when she went on a cruise, but he knew nothing about the destination she was going to.
“While he was teaching her how to keep track of where she was going, she was teaching him where she was going.”
Find out more about Living Connected at livingconnected.org.au/ and nbn network upgrades at www.nbnco.com.au/.
