Castries – Saint Lucia – 23rd May 2022 – Do you think older persons are vulnerable or valuable when it comes to digital technologies? Join the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) on our monthly Facebook live show, ECTEL Bytes, on Wednesday, May 25thfrom 2 p.m. (Eastern Caribbean Time) as we dive a bit deeper into how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can empower older persons.
Our special guest for this timely and important conversation in Mr. Embert Charles, Communications and ICT Consultant and Former Managing Director of ECTEL. This feature comes on the heels of the observance of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) under the theme, Digital technologies for older persons and healthy ageing.
According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) the theme for WTISD-22 highlights a defining demographic trend of the 21st century. “More than a billion people around the world are currently aged 60 years or older. Amid the overall ageing of the global population, ITU is promoting digital solutions as a key element in the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing. Yet societies struggle to recognize the opportunities that this trend can unleash. Telecommunications and ICTs can support healthier ageing, as well as help to build smarter cities, combat age-based discrimination in the workplace, ensure financial inclusion of older persons, and support millions of caregivers across the world”. The annual celebration of ICTs marks the founding of ITU and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865.
In addition to our guest sharing some of the barriers older persons encounter and the opportunities presented by the digital world to empower them, Mr. Charles will also provide feedback on the views we caught on camera of a few random persons who shared how they have adapted to the use of technology.
If you have an older person in your life, then make sure you watch this episode of ECTEL Bytes on the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority’s Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/ectel/. The shows are also postedshortly after the Facebook livestream on Twitter @ectelauthority and on YouTube @ectel.
