Request from the Seniors' Advisory Council - Non-digital processing

Digitalization in our everyday lives is advancing relentlessly and is increasingly affecting all areas of our lives. On the one hand, it opens up many opportunities for better social participation, but on the other hand, it requires a lot of prerequisites in terms of hardware, software design and user skills. Digitalization can make everyday life easier for senior citizens in particular if the necessary devices and user skills are available. This is not always the case for a large group of older people who live without digital services.

The Seniors' Advisory Council repeatedly receives complaints because citizens feel disadvantaged when they are referred to digital services by municipal departments but are unable to use them. For example, telephone inquiries are no longer taken but referred to the digital channel; answering machines often have quick greetings and no option to leave a message and citizens are asked to send e-mails with photos of the complaint in order to receive complaints; face-to-face meetings at municipal offices are difficult to arrange. It is also not sufficiently known that the Citizens' Office hotline 86-1616 provides assistance if you have difficulties submitting an online application.

Municipal departments are being sensitized to the needs of citizens with little or no digital competence in the area of services. Administrative processes are designed to be as accessible as possible for different groups of people. The processing of inquiries and applications to the administration from citizens with little or no digital competence is carried out in analog form and not digitally if requested. Information about the various processing options will be made available. In order to make citizen services more accessible, the employees of the Senior Citizens' Office, the Senior Citizens' Advisory Council and representatives of people with disabilities are involved in an advisory capacity.

The City of Erlangen will use both digital and non-digital options when processing inquiries, applications and publications. Citizens will be made aware of the possibility of analog processing through information in various media. The Citizens' Office hotline 86-1616 also provides assistance if you have difficulties submitting an online application. These measures ensure that access to the citizens' service is as barrier-free as possible for groups of people with different needs. Older residents of Erlangen can thus manage their affairs independently and in a self-determined manner.

The Senior Citizens' Advisory Council requests that the processing of inquiries and applications to the administration by citizens with little or no digital competence be carried out in analog form and not digitally.

An exchange on this topic is also planned with the citizens' office of the city of Erlangen.