Helping Our Seniors Stay Safe During Covid-19

Jamberi Kamis, Mendaki Digital Guide & Smart Nation Ambassador

I first signed up as a Smart Nation Ambassador in April 2019, when I found out that Mendaki was recruiting digital guides to help with the Malay/Muslim community. I have always been keen to learn more about tech matters as I feel that it is important to upgrade oneself and help others so that they too can benefit from the use of technology.

Even Covid-19 cannot deter me from helping others. With Covid-19, it was more critical for the community to embrace technology to stay connected and safe. When I found out that Govtech was looking for volunteers to assist seniors with the new SafeEntry technology (SE NFC) trial at the Marsiling Wet Market, I stepped up immediately. My role as part of the SafeEntry NFC trial was to help seniors in the queue waiting to enter the wet market to sign up for SE NFC using their EZ-link card, as well as encourage them to enter the wet market by scanning their EZ-link card upon signing up for SE NFC.

The seniors I interacted with were quite hesitant at the start as they were unfamiliar with the process. However, many of them expressed gratitude and appreciation when I patiently explained to them and taught them how using their EZ-Link card could be a more convenient option for them to enter wet markets in future.

Our seniors need a lot of help with using technology and downloading apps since they are not digital natives. Being a senior myself, I took quite some time to understand and navigate different apps. But that’s not to say that it is impossible!

Smart Nation is for everyone. We should help everyone to ride on the waves of Smart Nation so that they too can enjoy the benefits of using technology.

Source: Smart Nation and Digital Government Office