Emily Mullins

Emily worked with HelpAge Canada a national charitable organization that funds community-based initiatives that help older adults age with dignity. 

Community Engagement Initiative

Emily engaged in multi-stakeholder interviews across North America reaching older adults, academic experts and program managers to understand best practices for creating digital equity. Her CEI report “Older Adult Digital Literacy: Best Practices” outlines key barriers, such as finances and fear of the unknown, while offering practical tools for engaging older adults.

Report

Building Digital Literacy Among Older Adults: Best Practices

This research project, in partnership with HelpAge Canada, explored best practices for building digital literacy among older adults. HelpAge Canada’s Dig-IT program, short for digital information technology, is a national digital literacy program that provides devices, data, IT support, and training to low-income older adults who are 65 years and older. The aim of this research project was to explore and understand the barriers and facilitators experienced by older adults when learning digital literacy skills. Semi-structured, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 stakeholders, including program participants and program delivery personnel in the Dig-IT program, researchers in the field of digital literacy, as well as individuals from leading organizations providing digital literacy training to older adults in North America. Findings from the interviews revealed barriers relating to affordability as well as fear and anxiety. Best practices were discerned in relation to program planning and delivery.

Read Emily’s blog: Canada’s Digital Divide and the Path to Digital Equity for All Ages

Bio

Emily Mullins (she/her) is a graduate from the Master of Public Health program at Queen’s University. Emily also studied psychology at Trent University where she became interested in the field of gerontology. She is passionate about advancing the health and well-being of older adults through research and advocacy. In her future career, Emily aspires to apply her research skills to the community sector to improve social inclusion and belonging in the aging population. 

Keywords

Older adults, Digital Literacy, Tablets, Digital Equity, Information Communication Technology, Digital Inclusion, Qualitative, Digital divide, Aging, Canada