Synergy Of BKKBN And Kominfo In Protecting The Elderly In Era 4.0

Screen capture of the BKKBN and Kominfo/VOI TEAM webinar activities

JAKARTA - Based on BPS data in 2020, the number of elderly people in Indonesia is 26.82 million people or equivalent to 9.92% of the population. This number is expected to increase every year.

“The increase in the number of elderly people is so large that it becomes a challenge in aspects of life, both health, economic, social and environmental. To become healthy and productive elderly, government support is needed.” explained Deputy for Family Welfare and Family Empowerment (KSPK) BKKBN Nopian Andusti when opening the Webinar "Digital Equity for All Ages" in commemoration of the International Elderly Day 2021 which was held virtually.

Nopian said, International Elderly Day which is commemorated every October 1 was initiated to raise public awareness to create the welfare of the elderly and lead a decent life for the elderly in Indonesia.

Nopian assessed that the commemoration of International Elderly Day this year was very different from previous years, where the COVID-19 pandemic became an obstacle for all sectors. However, said Nopian, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for information and education for the elderly has greatly increased.

"In the era of the industrial revolution 4.0, people involve the internet as an aspect of life, so it is hoped that technology can develop new values and solve social problems with the help of sophisticated digital technology. In addition, humans are also able to synergize as a good productivity and equilibrium. Based on data from Bappenas in 2020, the elderly who access information technology are still very limited, namely 11.4% of the elderly who are active in using the internet, "explained Nopian.

On the same occasion, the Director General of Informatics Applications, Kominfo RI, Samuel Abrijani Pangerapan, explained that there were differences in internet access data among young people and the elderly.

“A total of 202.7 million Indonesians have access to the internet, or 73%. However, it is still dominated by young people. According to data from the World Bank, younger people can be more digitally active than older people. Talks from the data center show that the level of technology and internet use of the elderly population is still low, especially for the elderly population in rural areas, "said Samuel.

Samuel also said that the risks faced by the elderly when accessing the internet, such as hoax information and fraud, were very high.

“Many of these elderly are the target of fraud, consumed by hoaxes. This is what we need to take anticipatory steps so that our elderly citizens can be productive and feel safe in their activities in the digital space. In collaboration with the BKKBN, the target is that our seniors are also educated and understand what digital space is and how to do activities in the digital space.” Samuel said.

Back in Nopian, the elderly still need internet technology as information and communication space. Therefore, said Nopian, he hopes that this webinar can have a positive impact on the welfare of the elderly.

'”In this case, the internet cannot be separated by many people, including the elderly, to seek information and communicate. We hope that the Digital Equity for All Ages Webinar in the context of International Elderly Day 2021 can provide insight and knowledge to give more attention to the elderly.” close Nopian.