During June and July, Cáritas Coimbra team has delivered sessions on digital literacy at centres which users participate in the DAPAS project. The session aimed to increase digital literacy skills, encouraging users to use more their DAPAS system, and promote active ageing using new technologies. The sessions had three different parts: a presentation about active ageing and new technologies; a practical part in which participants could use the tablets with the staff support if needed, the chosen activities by participants were cognitive games, how to talk with their family members and read the news; a game similar to “Who wants to be a millionaire” with questions about topics discussed in the session. These sessions increased the users’ interest in new technologies as they understand better how it can help in their daily lives and maintain their cognitive functions.
Although, there was some initial resistance to the acceptance of new technologies, users say that they no longer want to “live without a tablet” and that they would like to “learn how to use tablets more easily”. The sessions showed the importance of a facilitator to help older people getting started on using new technologies.
