The St. Petersburg Times
Two new computer centers for elderly people will open in St. Petersburg in December and January with the aim of raising computer literacy among elderly people and enabling them to communicate with their friends via the Internet.
The computer training given at the centers will be free, said Anatoly Vereschagin, director of communications, charity and sponsorship projects at the company JTI in Russia, which sponsored the opening of the centers.
“This project is oriented toward elderly people, many of whom suffer from loneliness — a problem that the Internet can help to solve,” Vereschagin said at a press conference Thursday.
Leonarda Pchelina, head of the Alternativa Internet Club — the first computer club for elderly people opened by JTI in the Moskovsky district of the city in 2007 — said it was “a great opportunity” for older people to start using modern communication means.
“Our generation always experienced a lack of knowledge in that sphere due to our age, but we always wanted to dive into the world of the Internet,” Pchelina said.
Two levels of computer knowledge are taught at the center, Pchelina said. The basic level includes email and other primary Internet functions. At the advanced level, elderly people learn how to use Skype and ICQ.
“The brains of people who use the Internet work more efficiently. The Internet makes people forget about their illnesses and loneliness,” Pchelina said.
Georgy Shalamov, one of the members of Alternativa club, said a number of the club’s advanced students have already learned how to use popular social networking sites such as VKontakte, and have already found friends online and joined various Internet groups. They have also learned how to use Twitter and Live Journal.
Alexander Rzhanenkov, head of the city’s Social Policy Committee, said there are at least 20 social services centers where elderly people can learn computer skills in the city.
“However, the opportunities at those centers are somewhat limited, and far from everyone who would like to learn computer skills can do so there,” Rzhanenkov said.
“So it’s great when we see mutual collaboration in opening such centers between the city authorities and business. We are thankful to JTI for its input into such projects,” he said.
During the first three years of the first Internet center’s existence, at least 3,000 pensioners have taken classes there. The two new centers in the Krasnoselsky district of the city will teach up to 800 people a year.
Rzhanenkov said elderly people account for 23 percent of the city population, meaning there are still plenty of people among them who would love to learn how to use a computer.
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