Originally Posted by malpasc:
“My parents are considered 'elderly' - they do loads of their shopping online.
I find this assumption that all older people are computer illiterate, lonely, and poor to be somewhat inaccurate and patronising. Most pensioners now are 'Baby Boomers' who were born in the 1940s and 50s - grew up in the '60s - socially, financially etc they're more like the modern generation than they are of their parents generation.
I do agree that if people want their local businesses to survive then they need to use them. However, local businesses need to adapt. There's little point being open 9-5 when most people are unable to go to the shops 9-5 during the week as they're working. That's why supermarkets thrive - they're open when people are able to get to them, unlike a lot of local independent shops.”
My mother is 81 and has a full social life, goes swimming twice a week, has a smart phone, a kindle and a tablet, and does voluntary work for the church. My aunt is 85, still delivers meals on wheels and has no problem sending texts to us all.
I don't assume 'all' elderly people are lonely and computer illiterate. But I am aware that many of them are, and many don't have the ability to get out and about as much as they used to. The disappearance of local shops, closing down of post offices, and transferring of many bank services to on-line transactions
has caused difficulty and lack of social contact for a significant minority of elderly people - by which I mean people born in the 30s and 40s, like my parents generation. I certainly wouldn't consider someone born in the 50s to be elderly.
I agree with your point re 9-5 hours. It would be nice if we could all be home from work at tea time, like in the old days. But nowadays a lot of people don't get to go near a shop during the week until 7pm, so have no option but to use the larger supermarkets.