DigiLearn Wants to Reconnect Seniors to Their Communities Through Technology
A Fredericton startup is planning to empower and change the lives of older generations through technology education and coaching.
Fredericton-based DigiLearn offers technology coaching for all different devices and platforms for adult learners. Founder Sally Ng says she got the idea for the company after helping family members, neighbours and clients to use technology to improve their lives and businesses. But it was an article she read in The Globe and Mail that made her make the idea a reality.
“What kind of hit was in March of last year, there was a big article that came out in the Globe and Mail and it said that one in three seniors in rural communities in China commits suicide,” said Ng. “It was about isolation and seclusion, how a lot of the seniors are completely disconnected from their family. Because of the one-child policy and all that, it’s caused a whole other complex set of issues.
Though China may seem liked worlds away, Canada, especially Atlantic Canada, is not immune to the challenges of an aging population.
“Big picture is that, as much as I love tech, our population in Canada is drastically increasing, by 2031 according to Statistics Canada, Canada along with Japan will be one of the oldest countries in the world, because 23 per cent of our population will be seniors,” says Ng. “Senior is technically 65-plus, but [people over 50] still need help.”
With social media and technology playing such a big role in the way people everywhere live their lives, many seniors are being left behind.
“If you can’t connect with technology, how do you connect with family? how do you shop online? How do you connect with government services, how do you know about social events? There’s all this stuff as important as math and reading are,” says Ng.
DigiLearn is currently offering three programs. The main one is group coaching, which is a mix of both classroom and hands-on learning. They also offer one-on-one or “buddy” plans for those more comfortable working in smaller groups. Each program comes with a free 30-minute phone assessment to help DigiLearn determine things you want to learn, what device or devices you want to use, and your goals. The company also offers technology coaching for older executives and business owners.
Launched in the spring, DigiLearn programs are only available in Fredericton right now, since they are still testing their curriculum. The plan is to eventually expand to other cities including Halifax. Initially, Ng says DigiLearn coaches will be volunteers, but says she will be accessing government employment-programs when possible to help hire staff.
Long-term, Ng envisions DigiLearn becoming a franchise, similar to the model of Sylvan Learning.
“I want it to be everywhere,” says Ng. “The whole goal is can I create a franchise chapter-type organization. I don’t want to be a non-profit or a charity. I don’t think you have to be. I strictly want to be a social enterprise and I’m a bit stubborn on that.”
“If we’re teaching kids to read and do math, why can’t we do that for seniors? So my goal is to get it across the board, this is just the initial test.”
Digilearn falls in the space of what many call “the silver economy,” which are businesses, products and services that address the needs of Canada’s (and the world’s) aging population. A lot of these new products and services that will come to improve the lives of seniors will involve technology, but if seniors don’t know how to use it, they won’t be used. This is bad for both the businesses and the seniors. Ng sees DigiLearn filling in the gap.
“I think there’s that huge bottleneck and so to me, I really think it really is the first step,” she says. “Everything else that we want to do relating to seniors doesn’t work unless a senior actually knows how to use technology and most of them haven’t grown up around it. Everyone I talk to knows of a senior that struggles with it, but nobody has the patience or time to go teach them.”