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Island seniors treasure their connection to the world around them. For many — especially Hawaii’s homebound — their links with the outside world are their telephones, the U.S. Postal Service, the television set in their living rooms and the newspapers that arrive on their doorsteps each day.
Age is no barrier and a number of seniors are technology converts; however, there is still a substantial group that is hesitant to step into the virtual world. Although they might experiment with online communication, the world of Facebook and Twitter is a foreign place where their grandchildren live part-time. Many older people are aware of Kindle and Nook, but they are much more comfortable with the touch of paper, a medium that they can clip, underline, pass on to their friends and post on their refrigerator doors.
AARP is a membership organization of nearly 150,000 people in Hawaii over the age of 50, including 20 percent under the age of 60. In 2010, we surveyed members on communication preferences. Members were asked specifically about ways in which they would like to hear from AARP. The U.S. mail was the top preference at 55 percent, with email further back at 21 percent.
A bill now moving through the Legislature could curtail some seniors’ access to important information — legal notices. These notices are now required by law to be published in daily or weekly newspapers. But House Bill 2404, CD1 would cut costs by transferring the posting of these notices from newspapers to the Internet. While cutting costs is admirable, cutting people off from information to which they are legally entitled is not.
Earlier in this legislative session, AARP testified against a similar bill for two reasons. First, part of the older senior population is unfamiliar with technology and they do not see the need to learn a new skill to get information to which they’ve always had ready access. This could create a barrier where none currently exists.
Second, while the measure funds computers at libraries to allow anyone — seniors included — to surf the Internet at no cost, it could still disenfranchise many elderly. Driving itself can be problematic as people age. The reflexes of those most senior among us are not what they were at 25. Moreover, the cost of fuel and added time that it might take could add to inconvenience and cut into limited budgets. What now takes a few minutes in the comfort of one’s home could take considerably longer if they have to travel to a library to read public notices online.
The cost of technology is also prohibitive for many seniors. Indeed, the average monthly Social Security benefit for Hawaii retirees is just $1,131 a month, and more than a quarter of older residents rely on Social Security as their only source of income. In 2009, 20 percent of the state’s 65-plus population would have had incomes below the poverty line if not for their Social Security check. Many seniors simply cannot afford the cost of online access that others take for granted.
We all know seniors who still make shopping lists, clip coupons and write and mail checks each month to pay their bills. They also rely on newspapers for a substantial part of their information. There needs to be a transition that provides for both electronic and print options. Around the world, newspapers understand this. Today, news can still be delivered to your doorstep as well as to your smart phone. Clearly, HB 2404 is well-intentioned but misguided. Everyone has a right to receive legal notices, and those notices need to be delivered through a medium that each person can access easily.
As a caring community, we must ensure access to public notices and public processes for citizens of all ages. Going electronic is the communications method of choice for many, but we should temper our enthusiasm for information technology by considering the challenges faced by those who are not yet ready or able to come on board.
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