Lifelong learning - A Mere Mirage or a Palpable Reality?

As an emerging adult, the concept of life is still somewhat blurred by the innate youth we are in the presence of. However, sooner or later we will be shifting to the ageing population - a segment in our society which, in one way or another, triggers some fear and apprehension. Particularly, the ambiguity which is coupled within the ongoing technological innovations.

Nowadays, it is rather evident how neglected the elderly are in our society. There are several initiatives regarding inclusion technologies for developing communities or for the unfortunate people with disabilities. However, technological advances still lack the ability to serve elderly learners. Said initiatives seem to focus themselves on the younger part of our global population. But why? It has come to my belief that we - as a society - are living in complete denial. It has been predicted that by 2030, the global population over 60 years of age will reach staggering figures close to 1.4 billion, roughly 16% of the total worldwide population. Shouldn’t these figures be enough evidence for a general wake up call and raise alarms for more and improved efforts for this segment of the population?

Despite having a vast number of non-tech savvy elders - my grandparents included -  there are certain individuals who flee from the status quo. Masako Wakamiya wears the representative suit in this occasion, proving to the juvenile population that the elders are more than capable of exploiting and crafting technological innovations.  Embracing the coding life at the age of 80, she learnt the backbone of developers’ habitudes and knitted a gaming app related to the Japanese traditional culture. For this divine being of talent, designing geometric patterns for clothing and programming LED-based handbags is her natural embroidery.  As a source of inspiration, Masako is showing to her peers that it is also a question of mentality and approach to these technologies.

Nevertheless, let us not disregard the efforts that have been made to stimulate these individuals to the rising “buttonless” era. Meet Rendever, the revolutionary startup that is propelling the ageing population to Virtual Reality.  Through an innovative software, it seeks to combat isolation by creating opportunities to reminisce childhood memories and relive fond places and memories. It also allows seniors to connect amongst themselves and remotely attend events, settling as an ideal podium of new experiences.

Undoubtedly, initiatives as the one above belong to the right stepping stone. However, a paradigm shift is necessary, as it does not suffice the growing need of elderly integration. Our society is at risk of defragmenting itself and generating exclusion and alienation for the first-born. For the sake of humanity, Mother Earth needs ample drivers of inclusion technologies to unify all axioms of society. Thus, aligning learning curves and maintaining the idea of an active role in society and perpetually extending our purpose in life.