Fang Husheng is a bright, lively, 82-year-old woman from Beijing who is learning to use a smartphone, but it's been a struggle. "Technology advances so fast. What is supposed to make life easier is instead causing problems for us old people," she says.
Fang grew up in a simpler age when you had to actually leave your house to shop, buy a train ticket or make a doctor's appointment. Now all of these things can be done with a smartphone and, in some cases, only with a smartphone. Recently an elderly man in Dalian was unable to travel on the subway because, to enter the subway, his QR health code needed to be scanned. "What is a QR code?" the man asked. "I have money to buy a ticket, why do I need a smartphone?" In the end, he left the station, feeling confused and embarrassed.
I can certainly sympathize with (同情) Fang and the man from Dalian. They have spent their entire lives contributing to society and now theyfeel excluded fromthat society. But what can be done? One group of volunteer college students is trying to help. They are called See Young and they help the elderly learn how to use smartphones. However, teaching old folks about smartphones is only one part of the problem.
Many older people have physical and health issues. Poor eyesight makes reading characters on small screens difficult. And "leathery fingers" (it means their fingers are less sensitive) make it hard to use touch screens.
There are about 255 million elderly people in China and by 2030, one quarter of the population will be over 60 years of age. New technology and new solutions are going to be needed to make sure that these old folks aren't left by the side of the road as the rest of society races past.
