Sibel Bahçetepe
Cumhuriyet Pazar, 11 July 2021
The 65+ Elderly Rights Association has been working for several months to make people over 65 a part of the technological change. With the ‘Digital Inclusion for 65+’ project, young volunteers are trained and then provide digital literacy training to their grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts or people over 65 in their neighbourhood. On this occasion, we had a conversation with Dr. Gülüstü Salur, a cognitive neurologist and founder of the 65+ Elderly Rights Association. We discussed old age, which has become a topic of discussion with the pandemic.
In which issues are the rights of the elderly violated the most?
The biggest problem is ageism. The use of the word ‘elderly’ as a means of marginalisation, contempt and weakness. The elderly struggle most with loneliness, poverty, deprivation and illness. Except for the elderly who continue to be valued as part of the family or who can purchase some services because they live their old age with financial prosperity, most elderly people live in a way that their needs are not seen and their demands are not listened to.
I think the digital world has separated the elderly of this age from the new generations with a sharp line compared to other ages…
The pandemic process showed us how severe and how important the digital exclusion, something we were previously aware of, is. Digital exclusion is actually a problem from middle age, but its severity increases gradually in old age. Generational conflicts, sometimes sweet and sometimes challenging, have been a part of life throughout history. However, we have gone through a period in which the generational difference is more visible due to both the increase in the proportion of the aging population and the special vulnerability of the elderly during the pandemic period.
What do you want to do?
The most difficult part of aging is being dependent. Not speaking the language of the digital world has brought a new type of dependency to their lives. The elderly have started to depend on those who can use smartphones and computers to carry out some things in life. We want to introduce the elderly to the digital world as soon as possible. We want them to be comfortable in the digital world and we want the digital world to be equipped to meet their needs. We think that the experiences of the elderly can contribute to the more meaningful growth of the digital world. Of course, the nature of use is also important here. When not used correctly, there are many risks such as financial abuse of the elderly, the spread of fake news, and the use of technology even in politics. I like to say ‘Everyone’s phone is as smart as they are’ to those who exaggerate the risks of smart devices. I believe that the elderly will feel comfortable in the digital world once they learn the language.
When working with the elderly for digital literacy, you realise that everyone starts from a different place, with a different level of experience and a different motivation. Some of them have this enthusiasm just to have a video call with their distant grandchild, while others may want to open a video channel for themselves and share recipes from there. Some want to participate in refresher courses from all over the world, some want to watch the Louvre Museum on video. I am afraid that you will no longer be able to access health services and documents without being involved in the digital world or finding a tool that will enable this. Appointments and health data are in electronic environment. Banking and many government services are the same. The elderly should not be excluded from these. In our initial trainings, we saw young people surprised by their elders who were able to ask for directions with voice commands. We have seen that ‘I can’t’ can be very easily overcome.
How does the brain of an elderly person work?
As long as a person is healthy, there is no major change in the functionality of the human brain just because of his/her advanced age. The increasing number of ‘super-aged’ studies in recent years tells us that age alone should not be a factor that weakens brain function. In general, a slowdown in processing speed and a narrowing of the attention range can actually begin in the 40s. On the other hand, the ability to analyse, reason and reasoning on a focused subject can increase with age. In other words, the wisdom associated with old age emerges. The brain is not only an organ whose functionality can be measured in some memory tests, attention tests and some complex tests called ‘intelligence tests’. The brain is an organ that manages not only our interaction with the outside world, but also our inner world and organ systems.
What should be done to keep the brain healthy?
Supplying the brain with stimuli is the first step; a person whose eyes do not see well, whose ears do not hear well, whose brain does not read, watch or listen to music, a person who does not socialise, is actually experiencing a lack of stimuli. This lack of stimulus alone can trigger deterioration in brain functions in old age. Like our other organs, we need to take good care of the vascular structure of our brain and protect the brain from toxic effects. In other words, if your cardiovascular health is not good, if you have hypertension, diabetes, insidious vascular diseases that can cause a decrease in capacity in the cerebral vascular system can start. Movement is good for our brain as well as all organ systems. Addictive substances such as cigarettes, alcohol and some drugs used uncontrolled can also damage the brain. What is right for our cardiovascular health is also right for our brain health.