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ENChapter 11 · A handbook for practitioners
Different types of groups
Context changes everything. This chapter describes the five most common contexts, each following the same structure: profile, format, main challenge, what works well, and three things to remember.
University of the Third Age
Profile
Active, motivated, often well-educated internet users. They hate being treated like children.
Format
90 minutes, Modules 1–3, a full simulation at Level 2 or 3, exercises with smartphones and computers.
Main challenge
Overconfidence. WIB data: 59% of seniors rate their security knowledge as "average," but 88% feel safe using online banking. Your job is to gently demonstrate that a sense of security is not the same as actual security.
What works well: the "Detective of the Year" exercise at Level 3, a discussion about deepfakes, and checking a domain together on csirtknf.pl.
Remember these three things
- Take it seriously
- Don't oversimplify
- Show them what they don't see
Senior citizens' club and community centre
Profile
Diverse. Some use the internet, others don't. A wide range of ages (60–85) and skill levels.
Format
60–90 minutes, Modules 1 and 6, a simulation at Level 1 or 2, emphasis on printed materials.
Main challenge
The diversity of the group. Solution: pair-work exercises where you pair people with different skill levels. They learn from each other.
What works well: starting by asking "Who's received a strange phone call or text message?" (Many hands will go up.)
Remember these three things
- Pair different skill levels together
- Give out take-home materials
- Stay for coffee
Public library
Profile
Similar to a senior centre, but with computer access.
Format
60–90 minutes, Modules 1–3, a hands-on component at computers.
Main challenge
Computers can be distracting. Solution: a co-facilitator moves between workstations, the facilitator demonstrates the steps on a large screen, participants repeat them.
What works well: the "let's check together" exercise (comparing a real and a fake banking website live).
Remember these three things
- Demonstrate live
- Do it together, not for them
- A co-facilitator is mandatory
Nursing home
Profile
Limited mobility, often cognitive impairments, minimal access to technology, limited contact with family.
Format
20–30 minutes, Module 1 drastically simplified to 3–4 repeated messages, with staff present in the room, multisensory materials (minimum 18pt font, colourful illustrations, cards to hold).
Main challenge
An attention span of 15–20 minutes, memory impairments, hearing and vision loss. Solution: repetition. The same messages, the same words, every session.
Four messages for the nursing home
No authorised person asks for money over the phone.
If someone says "urgent," hang up.
If something seems strange, tell your caregiver.
No one has the right to take your money.
These messages are displayed as posters on the common room wall. Staff repeat them between sessions.
What works well: cards next to the phone that say "STOP. Think."
Remember these three things
- Keep it short
- Repeat the same words
- Work with the staff
Small municipalities and rural areas
Profile
Seniors who are offline or just beginning to embrace digital technology. Often living alone. Low trust in institutions.
Format
30–45 minutes, as part of an existing meeting (a rural women's association, village council, or parish meeting). Module 1 focused on phone scams and offline scams. Printed materials: the Z-Z-Z Card, the Escalation Card, the "demonstration/tour" checklist.
Main challenge
Distrust of strangers. Solution: come with someone they know (the women's club president, the village mayor, the parish priest). Introduce yourself as a person, not an institution.
What works well: local stories. "In the neighbouring municipality, a woman lost twenty thousand..." A local setting creates a sense that this is real and close to home.
Remember these three things
- Come with someone they know
- Tell local stories
- Don't leave right away — stay for tea
Full methodology
This was Chapter 11. The full methodology covers 19 chapters. Released under a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.