Digital essentials for seniors
What we learned during the Covid-19 pandemic is that digital communication will be the norm with Governments and businesses relying on digital social platforms to broadcast important messages.
Gone are the days when vehicles with loudspeakers roamed the streets to announce messages during a crisis. Even newspaper readership is on the decline and so are businesses using letters to inform critical information to their customers.
What I noticed when I came back home for vacations is that the elders in my family particularly my 72 year old uncle and 80 year old grandma waiting for weeks on end to get help with bank payments, mobile recharges done and getting cash from the ATM.
This was disheartening as they knew such systems existed but the lack of technical know how and fear of making errors stopped them from trying these digital modes of communication and payments. So, I decided to spend some time with them and see if I could show them the basics.
I was in awe at how quick they were able to pick up the process. It only took me a couple of minutes to get them started on these digital payment platforms and also give them a couple of tries to get their confidence levels up. All it took was just a little bit of time and patience from me to get them self reliant.
Digital communication will continue to evolve and seniors are particularly left out due to technological illiteracy. Our team at Helpee wants to replicate this on a larger scale. It only takes a couple of minutes of your time but learning such digital technologies will help them gain more freedom and be able to live a more comfortable life.
Our team sat down and compiled a few essential digital communication platforms that will make your lives easier. If you require further assistance on a one on one training, feel free to post a request on Helpee to get a dedicated Helpee Hand to train you or your loved ones.
If you are senior citizen or know someone who will benefit from these digital essentials, please share this with them or alternatively book a Helpee Hand from your local community to assist them in person.
Here are some of the digital essentials that will help you out —
WhatsApp -
Among the hundreds of messaging applications, WhatsApp still dominates with its easy to use interface and ability to make phone calls much like your native phone dialer.
Step1: Let’s set up your WhatsApp by downloading the mobile application from the Google Plays tore or the Apple Appstore.
Step 2: Once you have installed WhatsApp, open the app to enter your phone number in the space allocated.
WhatsApp will send you an OTP which will automatically confirm your phone number.
Step 3: Enter your username and upload a photo on WhatsApp to personalise your account.
Now you are all set to send messages and phone calls to your contacts for free over the internet.
Sending a message on WhatsApp is quite easy. Click on the message or chat icon on the bottom right corner to select a contact. Start typing a message with the keyboard and click send.
If you still find it difficult to set up your WhatsApp account or want to learn more advanced features, book a Helpee Hand today at www.helpee.in
UPI Payments -
Unified Payment Interface allows us to make money transfers to others via our mobile phone. This is particularly useful to elders as they don’t have to travel to a bank to fill out transfer forms.
Among the different UPI payment gateways, we prefer BHIM but you are free to choose Google Pay, Paytm or PhonePe.
Let’s look at how you can set up a BHIM account to get your digital transactions taken care of.
In order to start UPI transactions with any payment app, you first need to register your mobile number with your bank account.
If you have registered your mobile number, let’s download the BHIM app from the Google Playstore and get started.
Once you open the app, select the language that comfortable for you as we will be dealing with some text input fields.
If you have double sim cards in your phone, select the sim phone that is registered with the bank account in the next step.
Set up a 4 digit password to secure your BHIM account.
Select your bank from the list of banks provided
Once you’ve selected your bank account, set your UPI pin by providing the last six digits and expiry date of your debit card.
If you have multiple bank accounts, you can follow the same procedure and link these accounts to your BHIM app.
Now that you’ve created your BHIM account, let’s make that first transaction.
There are 3 ways you can transfer money via UPI -
1. Entering the VPA (Virtual Payment Address) of the receiver
2. Bank account and IFSC of the receiver
3. Scan the QR code of the receiver
Pay bills or recharge your mobile phone -
Since we have set up a BHIM app, let’s look at another UPI app — PhonePe to recharge your phone and pay other bills. If you feel intimidated or confused with the process, Helpee is always here to help you take you the process in person. Post a request on Helpee or give us a call anytime to book the closest available Helpee Hand.
To begin, download the PhonePe app from the Google Playstore or Apple Appstore.
Once you open the app, verify your mobile number with an OTP that will be sent to you once you register.
Enter your name, email and set up your 4 digit pin to secure your PhonePe account.
After creating your PhonePe account, click on create a new VPA (Virtual Payment Address) and select your bank.
Fill your bank account details and confirm the details to get started.
Let’s recharge your mobile phone with PhonePe. Go to the Recharge and Pay section to select Mobile Recharge.
Enter your phone number in the text column.
You can now enter the amount to recharge or select from the list of plans available.
Click on BHIM UPI and enter your BHIM secure pin to complete the transaction.
We hope these quick and easy to follow steps can help you in getting your digital communication and payments sorted. Our team will have interactive videos coming up on our website and social platforms. So make sure you give us a follow on our Helpee Facebook page.
