Older people turn more tech-savvy during Covid-19 pandemic, says report

The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has triggered widespread digitalization globally across sectors and across age categories. Older people appear to be adapting faster to this change with a four-fold rise in service requests by the age group during the pandemic, a study undertaken by Alserv, a tech start-up focused on non-real-estate-based assisted living services for the elderly, found.

The study also indicated that cooking and cleaning services witnessed a five-fold increase in cities like Chennai and Bengaluru. This study is based on insights from over 800 consumers across the six Indian cities -- Chennai, Bengaluru, Kochi, Coimbatore and Mysuru -- where Alserv has a presence.

According to the study, the top five services requested by the elderly across each city include home healthcare (65 per cent), food (20 per cent), home cleaning (7 per cent), plumbers (4 per cent) and maid services (4 per cent). In Coimbatore, the top two leading services included healthcare services (90 per cent) and home-cooked meals (10 per cent). The primarily availed healthcare services included nurses, people who can help around the house and for food i.e. home-cooked meals.

In Kochi, the top three services include healthcare (70 per cent), home-cooked meals (25 per cent) and maid services (5 per cent). In Chennai, the top leading services include Home-cooked meals (40 per cent), healthcare (40 per cent), cleaning and home maintenance (10 per cent) and concierge (1 per cent). Under cleaning and home maintenance services, the elderly are availing deep-cleaning services and pest control; while for concierge, they are availing driver-on-call and cab services.

In Bengaluru, the top services include healthcare (50 per cent), home-cooked meals (30 per cent), and cleaning and maid services (20 per cent). In Bengaluru, maid services are availed more regularly. Food and home healthcare were the most requested services during the second wave. Currently, there is a surge of 4X for cooking, cleaning services and appliance repair services, the report said.

Until September 2021, only 50 per cent of Alserv’s customers used the app to pay, but now 90 per cent of customers want to use the app to pay. They find that the app gives them multiple payment options and they are able to see a snapshot of the services and the analytics help them track their spending, the study said

Concierge services primarily include taxi services, driver on call and accompanying services. With lesser restrictions from the government, elders are now venturing out to meet their family and friends and using Alservs’ taxi and driver services to go out more now. This service has gained more traction from September – December 2021, it added.

There are around 138 million senior people in India (60 years and older), including 71 million women and 67 million men. This age group has nearly doubled in 60 years, accounting for 10.1 per cent of the overall population in 2021, and is projected to continue to grow in the future. Kerala (16.49 per cent), Tamil Nadu (13.64 per cent), and Karnataka (11.46 per cent) have the largest proportions.

Jagadish Ramamoorthy, co-founder and director, Alserv, said, “Alserv is helping this population to live an independent life at their homes where they have lived their whole lives instead of moving to retirement/ old age homes that are typically situated farther from the city limits and are highly expensive. It’s interesting to note that elderly are becoming more tech-savvy and are adapting to the new normal.”