Community Business Project: Age UK Digital Service Access Challenges

This report examines the challenges Age UK faces in providing digital services to its clients, focusing on barriers related to skills, access, and motivation. The research includes an overview of Age UK's mission, services, and competitors, along with an analysis of popular digital mediums and social media platforms among older adults. The report highlights that lack of digital skills, limited access to technology and financial constraints, and motivational issues are key challenges. The discussion section suggests solutions such as providing technical training, ensuring financial assistance for internet access, and improving communication strategies. The report concludes with recommendations for Age UK to transform its service delivery model to overcome these barriers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, by leveraging online platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Zoom to provide consultancy and wellbeing services.

Community Business
Project

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Results..............................................................................................................................................1
About Age UK........................................................................................................................1
Most popular digital mediums and/or social media platforms amongst older adults.............2
Barriers that Age UK face in getting their clients to access digital services..........................4
Discussion........................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
Recommendation.............................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

Introduction
The current Global pandemic of Covid-19 has created many barriers and issues for business
organisation and charity firms all over the work as they are not allowed to make physical contact
with their clients (Hasiba, 2021). Thus, many challenges and issues are faced in delivering
service and acknowledge needs of clients therefore a need for transformation towards digital
delivery of services is required. The current business project is based on Age UK which is an
independent charity for supports health and wellbeing of older people. The current project
comprises of analysis of its structure along with barriers faced by Age UK in getting their clients
access to digital services.
Results
The results of secondary research conducted on Age UK are provided as below:
About Age UK
Age UK is a Settle based local independent charitable company the structure of which is
based on company limited by Guarantee. At present the company is having Board of trustees and
near around 14 staff members along with more than 200 volunteers to support clear role of
charity through making difference in lives of older people (Baker, Blaine and Winkler, 2021).
The mission of Age UK company is, “To make later life of old people more fulfilling and
enjoyable experience by the way of reducing isolation and loneliness, and enable the right
support at the right time for old age people” (AGE UK, 2020. Our Mission and Values). The
main aim and purpose of Age UK company are provided as below:
 To develop a place which is age friendly.
 To make people feel more comfortable, safe and secure in their later life.
 That old people can access all the need support to manage their daily lives in order to
continue to live up independently.
 That people in later life can be able to participate within their local community as
they want to (Kitzie, Wagner and Vera, 2021).
The Age UK company is a charitable firm thus, its main product and services comprises of
helping everyone in order to make most of the later life. The main services provided by Age UK
consists of providing companionship to old age people along with all the need advice and
support for older people in form of visiting services, computer drop in session, wellbeing
1

services, day care and many other wellbeing and health opportunities. The main competitors of
Age UK comprise of Alzheimer's Society, RNIB, Arthritis Care and Macmillan Cancer Support.
The core organisational strategy of Age UK comprises of always acting with understanding,
sensitivity and respect in all work and services along with always respecting the confidentiality
of their client along with maintaining equality of opportunity and display a full and active
commitment to ensure improved user involvement (Rennings, Wustmans and Kupp, 2021).
Most popular digital mediums and/or social media platforms amongst older adults
It has been analysed that the use of social media has been grown dramatically among all age
groups which also consists of orders. It has been observed that the use of digital medium and
social media networking is more likely used to reconnect with people from their past and ensures
a renewed connection which provide a powerful support for the old age people who are near
retirement. Beside this, it has been also analysed that many chronic disease and loneliness is also
seen in old age people thus, they are more likely to reach out for some special support through
making use of online and digital networking services (de Melo and et. al., 2021). The below
stated graphs and table are presenting information about the most popularly and used digital
medium and social media platform among the older adults.
2

Figure 1: Use of social media platforms by adults, 2019.
The above graphs are presenting that during the year 2018, Facebook and you-tube are the most
widely used social media and digital networking site in adults.
Figure 2: Use of social media platforms by adults, 2020.
3

The above graphs are presenting that in the year 2020, During the COVID-19 situation,
Facebook has become the most widely used social media network in adults which support
improved level of information and knowledge in most effective manner (Slattery, 2021).
Barriers that Age UK face in getting their clients to access digital services
It has been observed that many barriers and challenges are faced by Age UK in getting their
clients aces to digital services in the 3 key areas of skills, access and motivation. It has been
analysed and find out that lack of digital skills and effective understanding level in its old age
client is the biggest challenge related with the skills area. Beside this, lack of effective access to
digital devices and IT tools like internet connections availability of network, etc. is also faced as
the biggest barrier by Age UK in getting their clients access to digital services. Beside this, lack
of finance and effective mental impairment is also seen in some old age clients which has also
created barriers to access the digital services (Carter, 2021). Apart from this, barriers related with
lack of motivation is also seen in the clients of Age UK as it is difficult to make them understand
the benefit and purpose of being online. Beside this, a high level of fear and mistrust is also seen
in the clients of Age UK which is also creating lack of motivation and barrier for Age UK in
getting their clients access to digital services. Apart from this, a barrier in selecting the most
suitable and appropriate local services that is most suitable for Age UK for transformation to a
digital delivery services are also faced which comprises of Information and advice service,
visiting service, Computer drop in session, wellbeing service, day care service and chums (Older
adults alone in their top social media platform choice, 2019).
Discussion
On the basis of above results a discussion can be made out that that many challenges related
with skills, assess and motivation is faced by Age group which is limiting and hampering its
connection with clients and Access to digital services. A discussion can be made out that
providing some technical training to clients about the use of internet and social media would
effectively address the barrier of lack of skills. Apart from this, ensuring availability of finance
with the help of online donation from members could also be made by Age UK to ensure access
to internet tools and online network for all its clients to overcome and mitigate the issues of
assess and lack of finance (Shastri, Hoda and Amor, 2021). Beside this, an observation has been
also made out that ensuring effective communication and connect with the clients through
4

making use of digital channels would ensure a higher level of motivation in clients towards
making sue of online services. Apart from this, proper knowledge about the use of online
channels along with information about the antivirus and other protection from hacking and
online misconduct would also be provided to the client to overcome their mistrust on use of
online services (Hasiba, 2021).
Conclusion
With respect to current business project, a conclusion can be made that the current global
pandemic of COVID-19 has put restriction on physical connects and delivery of services thus,
transformation towards digital form of services is required. But certain barriers are faced in
getting clients assess to digital services which comprises of lack of sufficient IT skills, access to
IT tools and technique and lack of motivation. Therefore, certain amount of IT training is
required to boost their skills along with ensuring effective communication to have improved
knowledge about the use and benefit of online services to motivate clients towards access to
digital services.
Recommendation
On the basis of above community business project, it has been observed that the issue of
COVID-19 has created many challenges and barriers for Age UK to deliver its services thus, a
transformation towards online delivery of services is required. But many barriers related with
skill, assess and motivation are faced by Age UK in getting their clients access to digital services
thus, all the services which required physical connection are seemed unsuitable for Age UK
during the times of COVID-19 (Baker, Blaine and Winkler, 2021). The Recommended local
services which seemed most suitable and appropriate for Age UK during the time of COVID-19
with the help of transformation to digital services comprises of providing consultancy services to
ensure proper information and advice for clients. A recommendation can be made for Age UK
that it can effectively provide its consultancy services through making use of social media
network like Facebook to make its clients more about the wide range of topic along with making
them aware about on –gong changes and required health tips through making use of informative
videos and images that can be easily shared and transferred with the help of online and digital
channels. Further, wellbeing services could also be continued by Age UK through making use of
online communication tool like What’s app and Zoom which offers the facility of online video
5

calls to have better interaction and communication to provide a holistic need analysis to clients
along with proper health referrals and signposting (Kitzie, Wagner and Vera, 2021).
REFERENCES
Books and journal
Baker, L., Blaine, S. and Winkler, R., 2021. Community collaboration, elephant conservation
and protection. The elephant tourism business, pp.123-133.
Carter, H.W., 2021. Evangelicals Incorporated: Books and the Business of Religion in America
by Daniel Vaca. Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 51(3), pp.490-491.
de Melo, J.C.F. and et. al., 2021. Reprint of: From open innovation projects to open innovation
project management capabilities: A process-based approach. International Journal of
Project Management.
Hasiba, Z., 2021. Not recognizing women actors in aquaculture: Does the private sector lose
business?(Seeds of Change Conference).
Kitzie, V., Wagner, T. and Vera, A.N., 2021. Discursive power and resistance in the information
world maps of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual community
leaders. Journal of Documentation.
Rennings, G., Wustmans, M. and Kupp, M., 2021. Dedicated business model innovation units:
do they work? A case study from Germany. Journal of Business Strategy.
Shastri, Y., Hoda, R. and Amor, R., 2021. The role of the project manager in agile software
development projects. Journal of Systems and Software, 173, p.110871.
Slattery, D.M., 2021. Guest Editor’s Introduction: Facilitating Interaction, Collaboration,
Community, and Problem-Solving Capabilities in Blended and Fully Online Technical
Communication Programs: An Introduction to the Special Issue.
Online:
AGE UK. 2020. Our Mission and Values. [Online] Available Through:<
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/northcraven/about-us/our-mission-and-values/>.
Older adults alone in their top social media platform choice. 2019. [Online] Available
Through:< https://www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/home/news/older-adults-alone-in-
their-top-social-media-platform-choice/ >.
6