The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of high-quality social connections for health and well-being – including for older people. When social restrictions began to be implemented around the world in response to the pandemic, we were suddenly faced with the prospect of needing to find new ways of staying connected when face-to-face contact was no longer possible.
Digital technologies and internet platforms became the new means of keeping in touch with our friends and loved ones for many – and such technologies even expanded many people’s social networks. Yet many older people were at risk of being left behind due to the so-called ‘digital divide’: ageist preconceptions that older people did not, or could not, use digital technologies meant many older people found themselves prevented from benefitting from new means of staying socially connected.
Dina Hashish, the founder of Golden Years Foundation for Community Development in Egypt, did not allow herself to be bound by such stereotypes. Recognising that in Egypt many older people did indeed use social media, she established an online community specifically catering to the needs of older people, allowing them to connect with peers, families, and other community groups online. The community, now with over 16,100 members and growing, evolved to provide a channel for offering free, virtual activities like live interviews with physicians, virtual meet-ups, yoga sessions, art classes, and breathing sessions.
Inspired by the online community’s positive impact, Dina Hashish established the Golden Years Foundation to continue building supportive online platforms that promote respect for older people and enable them to act as decision-makers – with the values of care, connection, and accessibility at the centre.