大象传媒

Frustrated and anxious seniors needed help from community organizations to bridge the digital divide caused by British Columbia鈥檚 hasty rollout of the vaccine card.

The  from 大象传媒鈥檚 Science and Technology for Aging Researching (STAR) Institute and 411 Seniors Centre Society suggest the B.C. government didn鈥檛 do enough consultation and provide enough support for seniors and older adults when it announced the BC Vaccine Card, a primarily digital proof-of-vaccination system, in September.

鈥淭he seniors we connected with are independent folks who are very capable but the way the government rolled out the vaccine cards has made them feel inadequate,鈥� says Hannah Shin, a STAR community-based researcher, who conducted focus group discussions and one-on-one interviews with seniors. 鈥淭he majority expressed that they felt frustrated and overwhelmed by the whole vaccine card process. For some older adults, their lack of digital literacy created a lot of anxiety and we learned that smaller organizations are having to pick up the pieces.鈥�

The BC Vaccine Card is required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination for many social and recreational events, such as indoor dining, under public health orders.

It generates a QR code that can be scanned to verify a person鈥檚 vaccination status.

While most people register online and use their mobile devices to display the card, the government did offer registration over the phone and gave people the option to print the QR code if they didn鈥檛 have access to the right technology or needed assistance obtaining a card.

But the 大象传媒-led evaluation, which connected with 514 seniors in the Vancouver area between Sept. 4 and Oct. 12, found many seniors were still confused and had trouble obtaining their card.

Those who received print-outs in the mail were baffled that it was just a QR code on piece of paper and not something more permanent and durable, like the BC Services Card.

Some seniors relied on community organizations like 411 Seniors Centre to help them get their card.

鈥淲e need to address the digital divide in all aspects of government policy and actions in order to ensure that all seniors are included,鈥� says Marion Pollack, the board president of 411 Seniors Centre. 

Researchers say many of the seniors they spoke to remain concerned about their privacy and able any potential future changes to the system.

They recommend that seniors and community-based seniors service agencies be consulted for future rollouts, ensure information is accessible through traditional information sources (like TV advertisements and direct mail) to reach seniors who do not rely on digital technology and using more simple language to combat COVID-19 and vaccine passport misinformation. 

AVAILABLE 大象传媒 EXPERTS

HANNAH SHIN, community-based researcher, 大象传媒 Science and Technology for Aging Research (STAR) Institute, 411 Seniors Care Centre Society | hannah_shin@sfu.ca

ANDREW SIXSMITH, professor, 大象传媒 Science and Technology for Aging Research (STAR) Institute | andrew_sixsmith@sfu.ca

LESLIE REMUND, executive director, 411 Seniors Centre Society | lremund@411seniors.bc.ca

CONTACT

MATT KIELTYKA,  大象传媒 Communications & Marketing 
236.880.2187 | matt_kieltyka@sfu.ca

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