Technological solution to help the elderly to carry out electronic formalities

Personalised remote support for accessing telematic services

Today we live in a society in which technology and its use covers all or almost all aspects of our lives. We can carry out numerous administrative and banking procedures and formalities at the click of a button.

However, this new reality and way of relating to public administrations and other sectors such as banking, leaves behind elderly people who, due to their age, education or place of residence, do not have access to the electronic services offered by public administrations and banks.

At Grupo EOS Ibérica we have designed and manufactured the eHelp technological solution. A terminal that provides an answer to the problems encountered, above all, by the elderly, who live in small towns or rural areas, when they have to access electronic services to carry out procedures and formalities through telematic platforms.

Personalised remote care

The eHelp is an interactive terminal designed to facilitate access to technology for the elderly, as well as for people living in sparsely populated or rural areas without physical offices to carry out simple procedures, such as opening a new bank account or requesting a postal vote, for example.

This interactive terminal allows any citizen to access electronic services, carry out procedures and receive support and advice to carry them out with the help of experts. All of this can be done remotely, as this interactive kiosk has an intercom and telephone that connects the user remotely with a real person. This advisor gives them personalised attention from a distance, and tells them what steps are necessary to complete the desired procedure. For example, if an elderly person wants to vote by mail, but does not know how to apply and what steps to follow, the eHelp would act as a one-stop shop. The person only has to go to the place where the interactive terminal is located, which could, for example, be located in a civic centre or a guadalinfo centre, sit down, pick up the phone and ask for help from the person on the other end of the handset. This personal assistant will indicate the instructions to follow step by step, and will solve any doubt related to this procedure. At all times, the user will receive personalised remote assistance from a real person.

Terminal adapted for people with reduced mobility

The eHelp is a very complete technological solution. In addition to incorporating a telephone and intercom, it also integrates different industrial components such as a 17-inch screen or double screen, printer, A4 scanner, facial and fingerprint recognition, electronic ID card reader or USB ports for uploading and downloading documents.

The integration of this variety of peripherals in the interactive terminal makes it possible to generate paper or electronic evidence of the procedures carried out, thus avoiding unnecessary travel. For example, the user can scan a document and send it instantly to the person on the other end of the phone or screen.

The eHelp is a very complete interactive terminal. Thanks to its design and dimensions, it is accessible to people with reduced mobility. With its implementation in small municipalities or rural areas, which do not have adequate face-to-face services or attention, it allows elderly people assisted by a person to receive personalised attention from a distance. These people will be able to carry out any procedure online, avoiding the need to go to a physical office to carry out day-to-day procedures. It also helps to combat age discrimination, known as ageism, by making technology inclusive and accessible to the elderly.

It also helps older people to lose their fear of using new technologies, as they are assisted at all times by a person who guides them and answers their questions.

This interactive terminal is an example of how the integration of people and technology is a perfect tandem for the progress of modern societies. With the industrial design and manufacture of this type of solution, the EOS Ibérica Group is doing its bit to combat ageism and the digital divide. By bringing technology closer to the elderly and those living in rural or sparsely populated areas, they are given the opportunity to benefit from electronic services and carry out procedures in an easy and accessible way.