Seniors who grew up with face-to-face contact and snail mail are turning up in droves to technology seminars, trying to keep up with the furious pace of digital change.

As more and more services shift online, older Australians who have so far resisted the virtual world are being left with little option but to sink or swim.

Two hundred packed into a Tech Savvy Seniors seminar in Perth recently that had been booked out for several weeks, many armed with digital devices and scribbling into notebooks.

Clutching a tablet like it had just landed on her lap from another planet, 89-year-old Edna Cable was feeling defeated when she spoke to 7.30.

“It just swings around and does funny things,” she explained.

“It’s too stressful. The other night, I tried so much that I ended up in tears.”

The seminars are funded by Telstra and organised by the Seniors Recreation Council.

Trainer Martin Yates is concerned about the pace of the digital transformation of essential services that seniors depend on, including the aged pension.

“They are being dragged along into this new world whether they like it or not,” Mr Yates said.

“With seniors, there’s a lot of pressure to be online.”

‘What I’ve learnt so far is to try and stay calm’

Until recently, 75-year-old Jim Donaghy was happy in his old-school, tactile world.

He loves his daily newspaper, does not have a mobile phone and only deals in cash, resisting online banking — and even ATMs — in favour of a bank book and a friendly conversation with a human being at his local branch.

But a few weeks ago, the digital revolution came knocking.

He was at home on his landline querying a phone bill when the conversation took an unexpected turn.

“After I got all that sorted out, the girl happened to say to me, ‘Why don’t you get a tablet? It only costs $10 a month’,” he said.

But, when the tablet arrived, there were no instructions.

Jim, who lives alone, sought help from a friend but when forced to manage on his own, quickly started going around in circles.

“It’s taking me all my time not to throw it through the television or the window,” he told 7.30.

“There are three buttons on that thing.

“I wear glasses and I can’t even see them with glasses on.

“What I’ve learnt so far is to try and stay calm.”

Almost half of over 65s don’t engage in digital technology

For Mavis Owens, the digital experience has been easier but not without frustrations.

She uses her smartphone for texting and her desktop computer for online banking.

But Mrs Owens can understand why many seniors get stressed.

She says there is growing pressure on them to be online because the old ways of doing things are becoming harder to access.

“Many of the government agencies, in particular, encourage you to use online,” she said.

“And they are making all the other options more difficult.”

Last financial year more than 50 million calls to Centrelink were met with the busy signal.

Since then, another 250 additional call centre staff have been appointed and another 1000 operators will be recruited by the end of the year.

On top of this, the Department of Human Services says it is streamlining the age pension claim process and improving the user experience for those who claim online.

The federal government has committed $47.2 million to its “Be Connected” program to help seniors improve their digital skills.

The program is targeting the 49 per cent of Australians over 65 who do not currently engage in digital technology.

It includes face-to-face coaching through a national network of community organisations.

‘It’s still important to talk to people’

But the group, National Seniors, remains worried about the digital divide.

In particular, it points to the “unnecessary hurdles” that older Australians face accessing age pension entitlements.

In a report released today, it says seniors face a “long wait on the phone” or a “poorly designed” online service.

Digital government isn’t going away.

By 2025, the government wants every Australian to have a “single digital identity”.

National Seniors’ Professor John McCallum warns against too much, too soon.

“Let’s call it straight,” he said. “It’s age discrimination.”

He says products and services will have to be co-designed with older Australians for more seniors to get onboard.

Alternatives, including face-to-face contact, also need to be maintained and improved, he argues, to avoid people from becoming increasingly isolated.

“It’s still very important to talk to people, particularly important for older people,” Professor McCallum said.

“It’s important for their health, their wellbeing and their social life.”

–ABC