Tech Savvy Seniors

Live a life of continuous learning

It’s never too late to brush up on your online skills or learn new ways to stay connected with your loved ones.

What’s the Tech Savvy Seniors program?

Our Tech Savvy Seniors program helps you build the skills and confidence to use computers, tablets and smartphones. It includes free or low cost training in libraries and community colleges, and offers quick reference guides in English and 14 other languages.

Tech Savvy Seniors is delivered in partnership with the New South Wales state government.

How will it help me? Learning online skills will help you:

  • keep in touch with family and friends
  • access government, health and other essential services
  • discover more about the things you love.

Watch video: Tech Savvy Seniors

Video content description

The video shows several older Australians sharing their views and experiences with technology and how the Tech Savvy Seniors program has benefited them.

MUSIC

Footage: The words Tech Savvy Seniors and a graphic of the Telstra logo appears

Footage: Jo Third is in her home looking at her phone, then speaking to us from her kitchen

Audio from Jo Third: I think the digital tablets phones are virtually essential these days,

Footage: Cut to Jo Third with her friends sharing photos on her mobile

Audio from Jo Third: They've changed life so much it's hard to imagine going back to the days without them.

Footage: Cut to Pam Richards sitting in an armchair

Audio from Pam Richards: I think we all, as we're getting older, we need to move forward. I mean it's another age in technology. There's been many ages before us

Footage: Cut to Pam Richards scrolling on her iPad in her kitchen

Audio from Pam Richards: And this one's not going to happen

Footage: Cut to Pam Richards back on the armchair

Audio from Pam Richards:  Again because with youngsters, they don't know any different, they've left they've had computers and technology right the way through school, they don't know employment without it.

Footage: Bob Richards in the kitchen, then sitting at dining table with his iPad.

Audio from Bob Richards: It's beginning to change as people get more used to it, and in my

Footage: Cut to Bob Richards in the kitchen

Audio from Bob Richards: Peer group particularly, more and more of them are beginning to convert and become involved.

Footage: Peter Craswell is talking to us from the library where he is sitting down, then cuts away to him typing on the computer and back

Audio from Peter Craswell: Computers nowadays are friendly. Don't be afraid of them. They won't explode. They won't crash and even if you do make a mistake, all you have to do then, is turn it off and switch it on again.

Footage: Bob Richards is in his kitchen then cuts to him sitting at the table using his iPad and back to the kitchen

Audio from Bob Richards: Yeah the Tech Savvy Seniors course, I think, is a very good starting point. It's the, you know, the first step of any journey is probably the most daunting one, but once you're on the way, it you know, it's a lot better.

Footage: Jo Third is speaking to us from her kitchen, then her husband walks in when Jo is sitting at the table using her iPad.

Audio from Jo Third: I could see my children using computers and phones and I've always thought oh I want one of those.

Footage: Her husband rests his arm on the back of her chair and looks over her shoulder at her iPad; they’re both smiling

And I know I had a little opposition from my husband when I was buying an iPhone

Footage: Cuts away to Jo Third on her own in the kitchen

Audio from Jo Third: Because his attitude was, oh you just want to keep up with the younger generation. But I don't care about any labels that I might attract. I just, I want to keep up with what the kids are doing. To me it's a lot of fun.

Footage: iPad is on a table next to a basket of fruit, screen shows a recipe and Pam’s fingers are scrolling through the recipe, then camera pans out to show Pam standing at the kitchen bench scrolling on the iPad.

Audio from Pam Richards: I think we owe it to ourselves to move forward with modern technology and I feel that it must be very difficult for people that haven't done this

Footage: Pam Richards sitting in her armchair

Audio from Pam Richards: Because the demands made on you now tends to be well, go to www dot and download the information.  Whereas before, a letter would come in the post.

Footage: Bob Richards is in his kitchen then cuts to him sitting at the table using his iPad and back to the kitchen

Audio from Bob Richards: Well I've used it a lot for researching family history, things like that. Again, you get far more access and you don't have to be at a registry.

Footage: Pam Richards on the iPad and Bob Richards using pen and paper sitting next to each other

Audio from Bob Richards: We get some of the media so that we can both do the crossword at the same time

Footage: Cuts to Bob Richards in the kitchen

Audio from Bob Richards: (laughs) Which makes instead of fighting for the first one to get the crossword.

Footage: Jo Third in her kitchen and then cuts to her sitting on the couch next to her husband who’s on his tablet.

Audio from Jo Third: I don't think technology is just for young people. I think that there's no barriers in age.

Footage: Pam Richards in her armchair.

Audio from Pam Richards: I feel that I'm moving forward fast enough to be able to keep up with the rest of the world

Footage: Pam Richards and Bob Richards sitting on the couch looking at Pam’s iPad, camera pans out and cuts back to Pam in her armchair.

Audio from Pam Richards: And that's what makes me feel good about them. I do encourage other people and in conversation and way of life and people say that they go into the library to reserve books and they say well you can just do it online you know.

Footage: Bob Richards in his kitchen and cuts to Pam and Bob sitting on the couch looking at Pam’s iPad and back to the kitchen.

Audio from Bob Richards: I think those of us who have a knowledge about technology, it's incumbent on us to influence our peers to join the happy throng, if you like.

Footage: Jo Third in her kitchen

Audio from Jo Third: You don't want to get old before you have to so yeah (nodding her head) I think it does help you to stay young.

Footage: A graphic of the Telstra logo appears

[END MUSIC]

3G will be closing soon

3G will be switching off in mid-2024, which could affect your services.

Other external resources

Be Connected

Be Connected is an Australian government initiative committed to building the digital confidence and online safety of older Australians. It has free online learning resources and community organisations offering face-to-face support across Australia.

Good Things Foundation

The Good Things Foundation is a social change charity helping people to improve their lives through digital. You can find advice on downloading your COVID-19 vaccination digital certificate and more.