Students connect with elderly residents to combat loneliness

International students creating lasting friendships

Exeter University students have been creating lasting friendships with older members of the Devon community in a scheme that aims to boost digital literacy and reduce student loneliness.

The Tech-and-Life Pal project aims to get older people to give students the benefit of their "life wisdoms and experience", while the students help them out with essential digital skills such as how to use a smartphone or laptop.

Dr Yuxi Heluo, assistant professor at the University of Exeter Business School, started the project as a research trial, but it has been so successful in that it’s likely to carry on.

“The older people share their life wisdom with students to support them with life skills and life experience,” she explained. “At the same time the students help older people with how to use smartphones and tablets or help them with things such as how to check my NHS record, how to buy tickets or order groceries online.”

The government’s University Mental Health Charter finds that 90% of students in the UK consider themselves lonely, and Age UK has stated that most older people find digital technologies challenging.

Dr Heluo launched the project in part for these reasons, but beyond fighting loneliness and improving digital literacy, the programme has had the added bonus of helping form genuine friendships.

Sue Wright, from Exmouth, said former Exeter student Jessie He has helped her with IT and now regularly goes to stay with her.

Jessie meanwhile said that as an international student there were life skills and guidance that Sue really helped her with.

Other members of the project have found that it broke down the stereotypes they held about students, saying that it showed students are not just always on their phones.

Dr Heluo stressed the importance of building intergenerational relationships. “Communication between the generations is crucial for a sustainable and healthy society,” she said.