During the pandemic, Canadians are spending more time online than ever before. As per the Canadian
Internet Use Survey, which was conducted from November 2020 to March 2021, the survey found that
75% of Canadians 15 years of age and older engaged in internet-related activities more often since the
onset of the pandemic. More than half (54%) of Canadian senior citizens reported an increase in
internet-related activities. You can view more details regarding Canadian internet usage by clicking here:
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2021001/article/00027-eng.htm
While it’s great to see that older adults are taking advantage of the unlimited resources that can be
found on the internet, it’s never been more important to stay cyber secure. Instances of cyber criminals
disguising as healthcare organizations or the Canadian Government have been increasing – and in many
cases, they’re targeting seniors.
Some steps to ensure your protection are: practice safe passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication
and identifying phishing scams. Click the following link to get more information with how to protect
yourself with simple steps: https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en/resources/seniors-guide-staying-cyber-
safe-during-covid-19
At TechServeTO, we connect digital-native volunteers with older adults who just need a little bit
of technical help to improve their everyday lives. If you require tech assistance, free of charge, please
call 1-888-418-4771 or visit us at www.techserveto.com. In addition, if you or anybody else would be
interested in volunteering, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Jeff Cruz, volunteer at TechServe, stated: “I started volunteering at TechServe back in July 2021. During
the pandemic, I had time to reflect and I wanted to give back to community and help others. In
particular, I wanted to help older adults and that’s where I came across TechServe. Whether it be
helping older adults with navigating their smartphones/tablets or helping them sign up to social media
platforms, there’s a sense of satisfaction when I assist older adults with their tech needs. I understand
that technology can be intimidating for some, but the TechServe volunteer platform allows me to assist
older adults get the best out of their technological needs. Let’s face it, technology is used by virtually
every business and helps connect people; being a part of TechServe, I want to ensure that older adults
take advantage of the resources that today’s tech offers and I want to show that tech can be quite
simple and is not as intimidating as it seems at first”.