Digital shift leaves many seniors dependent on family and volunteers for basic services

The migration of routine services to online formats is leaving many older Australians unable to manage their affairs independently, shifting the burden onto family members, neighbours and retirement-village staff. In the small WA town of Balingup, 72-year-old Wendy Trow has become a digital guide for her 85-year-old sister Majorie Jones, handling everything from banking to government aged-care applications after banks stopped accepting cheques.

Patricia Sparrow, chief executive of the Council on the Ageing Australia, says the digital divide makes seniors feel incompetent and socially excluded, a problem highlighted by the Australian Digital Inclusion Index, which reports more than 65 % of people over 75 are digitally excluded. Rural and remote communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, those with disabilities and public-housing residents are especially vulnerable.

To address the gap, Bolton Clarke retirement villages in Brisbane run face-to-face digital-literacy workshops that teach seniors how to browse safely and recognize scams. Volunteers in Balingup have also formed a small group to assist locals with My Aged Care services, despite lacking formal training. Advocates stress that while digital services will expand, they cannot replace in-person options for those who cannot navigate the internet.