Day in the life of a Age Friendly Salford digital development worker

My day starts with an hour’s bus journey to the office.  It’s on time today and not too crowded so I get a window seat and listen to music on my way to work. 

 I’m a Age Friendly Salford development worker and my job involves setting up and delivering basic digital skills courses (Tech and Tea) to older people in community venues across the city. 

 When I get to the office at just before 9am, my working day starts, as always, with a good brew and a quick catch up with colleagues before I check my emails and messages.  This morning, I am setting up 12 tablets for my courses which start next week in Walkden and Swinton.  It’s a long job which will take most of the day; but it’s important to ensure that all updates and apps have been installed so that participants can use their tablet straight out the box next week. 

 At 11am, I leave the tablets updating, (they take up a whole row of desks in the office, but people are used to seeing this now!) to log into Zoom for the Tuesday Zoom, I spend the hour talking to the group about how to stay safe online.  I deliver a digital session once a month, with my colleagues we each take a turn to running these Tuesday Zooms, next week it’s a reminiscing session, remembering and talking about childhood games. 

 After I log out of Zoom, it’s time for lunch.  I’ve been in the office all morning so it’s a good time to stretch my legs and I walk to the shop to buy a sandwich. Back at the office, I sit with some colleagues and we talk about the football and a TV show we are all watching. 

 This afternoon I check on the tablets and some of them are completed and can be put back in their boxes.  Next I go through my list of Tech and Tea enquiries.  This is a list of people who have either signed up via the Age Friendly Salford website, have sent us an email or who have phoned the office.   I speak with a lovely 82 year old woman who tells me her grandson has encouraged her to join Tech and Tea.  She worries about being too old; I tell her no one is too old and reassure her that the classes are really relaxed and cover the basics, nothing too complicated.  She thanks me and signs up for our next course at Pendleton Gateway starting in a few weeks time. 

 The final tablets are now all set up, so they too go back in their boxes and all 12 go back in the cupboard ready for next week.  It’s nearly the end of my day, so I check my email again and my calendar for tomorrow – I’m doing adult safeguarding training in the morning and then I’m out of the office in the afternoon visiting a sheltered scheme in Irlam to talk about delivering Tech and Tea to their residents. 

On the bus on the way home, I check to see if any of my favourite artists are doing gigs in and around Manchester.  It’s been a really busy but fulfilling day and tonight I am going to play snooker with a friend to relax and unwind, ready to start again tomorrow.