Empowering people to be living connected

High-speed internet and broadband services are pivotal to building a connected future, according to Helen Hasan, Founder and CEO of Living Connected.

Helen highlights that the synergy of technology, services, knowledge, and people is essential for creating inclusive and empowered communities, driving both social and economic advancements.

“It’s very important people can use technology, particularly for health,” Helen said.

“Instead of needing to drive for an appointment they can access it online and also get information around managing their own health.

“Not only does this save them money, but it also saves the government money in the long run as people can stay home longer rather than moving into aged-care facilities and services are also cheaper to provide online.”

As a not-for-profit community enterprise providing services for the social well-being of elders through digital inclusion, Living Connected also recognises further education is needed to help people access banking services online.

“When a bank closes they just tell people the next branch is down the road without teaching or encouraging online learning,” Helen said.

The service currently offers help at drop-in sessions and home visits along the NSW south coast from north of Wollongong to Batemans Bay, and Moruya and Bega. They also work inland in Goulburn and Bundanoon.

As nbn network upgrades continue across the country, Helen is hoping Living Connected will grow alongside it.

“We have the opportunity now with the nbn making coverage better in regional areas to get more people connected and using services online,” Helen said.

“Where there are less people it’s more effort to get there to help them but it’s those people who need the help the most and who benefit the most from being able to access services online without having to travel.”

Living Connected grew from a small research project Helen undertook 13 years ago to learn how older people were engaging with technology.

It started with sessions asking people what they’d like to learn and became so popular it was quickly turned into an organisation.

Regional Australians are using more data than ever, with internet usage to increase over the next ten years, transforming the world and how we live.

Today the service helps people with all aspects of technology from setting up new phones, connecting smart watches, transferring sim cards, sorting photos, making video calls, using word documents – almost anything.

“We help people with whatever they want to learn, our main focus now is helping people use health services online like the chemist and GP with the recommendation to stay home if you’re sick. You can only do that if you know how to use tech,” Helen said.

While education is the focus at Living Connected close acquaintances are also made within the service.

“The team all really enjoy and get great satisfaction out of what we do and often become friends with the clients,” Helen said.

“There’s often cross-generational connections, it’s really great. We had a young volunteer helping a lady learn how to stay connected when she was going on a cruise but he didn’t know anything about the destination she was going.

“While he was teaching her about how to keep track of where she was going she was teaching him about where she was going.”

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