Authorities need to do more to make elderly people's life convenient

My wife was recently hospitalized to undergo a thorough physical check-up after doctors suspected she could have developed a heart problem. The atmosphere in the four-patient ward was mostly grim, though there were occasions when the four patients burst out laughing.

After my wife was shifted to a bed, the nurse pointed to a QR code sticker on the bedside and told us that we could scan it to order food. My wife did accordingly and ordered her lunch and dinner within seconds. To be honest, the food-ordering system of the hospital was efficient, convenient and labor-saving. However, the hospital authorities neglected the fact that most of the patients are elderly people who may have difficulty in using smartphones, let alone the apps that come with them.

At lunch-time, a woman brought food enough for six people for a patient surnamed Li, who was in her early eighties. When Li asked why she got so much food, the woman said those were exactly what she had ordered through the system and added: "I was wondering if you are hosting a banquet in the ward." We could not help but burst out in laughter.

At dinner-time, the woman walked in with a plastic bag for a patient surnamed Hou, who was in her late seventies. In the bag, there were 10 big steamed buns, enough for her to survive a couple of days. Rechecking the food ordering system, it was confirmed that Hou had placed the order herself, though she wanted only one bun. When her roommates suggested that she set up a stand in the hospital's corridor to sell the extra buns, laughter again burst out in the room.

The elderly women were trying to cover their embarrassment by laughing at themselves and at each other. While China is progressing fast toward digitalization, many elderly people face embarrassment for not being able to catch up with the trend. As a result, many elderly people, who should have been proud of their life and professional expertise, now seem helpless in the face of new technologies.

To see a doctor, one has to download an app and complete the procedure for registration and appointment beforehand. The traditional registration windows have largely stopped providing any service. To rent a wheelchair, one has to scan a QR code and complete the required procedure before one can unlock one.

When you eventually get to sit face-to-face with a doctor, the latter asks the required questions for diagnosis while busy hitting the keyboard of a computer or tapping on her smartphone before telling you that you have such and such problem and need to take some tests, or you are alright. Many hospitals in China are going paperless, though elderly people like me feel uncomfortable when we don't get a sheet of paper with the diagnosis and/or prescription. We are informed that we could go to a machine to get a printed diagnosis, prescription and/or receipt, and pay the medical bill. But the process involves a lot of scans and multiple choices that can be as difficult for elderly people as climbing Mount Qomolangma.

Elderly people face the same, or even bigger, problems in a bank, a restaurant, or while checking into a hotel or using public transport in other cities, or even using a toilet.

With China fast becoming a cashless society, we elderly people have to tolerate the sneers of salespersons and other shoppers when we pay in cash; it seems as if we are wasting their time. The only time we elderly people feel cool is when we visit museums and tourist sites. While others are busy scanning QR codes to make reservations and pay for the entrance fees, all we need to do is to show our ID cards and enter free of cost.

Although there have been calls from the government and society to help the elderly people to overcome the digital divide, I feel the digital gap is widening. As a senior citizen, I want my fellow senior citizens to keep familiarizing themselves with the apps. But I also request the relevant departments to pay attention to the woes of the elderly people and do more to make their life convenient.

The author is former deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily.

kangbing@chinadaily.com.cn