The crisis triggered by the Corona pandemic has clearly shown European countries the  importance of the competent use of digital tools and communication media for our  society. Due to the required social distancing, virtual communication channels, such as  video conferences, synchronous and asynchronous cooperation, have gained enormously  in importance and are crucial for the social integration of people in times of crisis.

A large proportion of people living in Europe can handle these tools well and already use  them in professional and private lives.

However, one group of the population particularly affected by the effects of the Corona  crisis remains excluded from modern digital communication channels: old and very old  people are often not able to use the current media and communication channels to a  sufficient extent. These circumstances have fatal consequences for the integration of this  group into society, especially in times of enforced quarantine and social distancing. They  continue to become lonely and lose contact with their relatives and society in general.

There are 3 main reasons for this:

1. digital tools and media are not adapted to the special needs of the elderly.  2. there are insufficient training programmes for very old people, which could introduce  and enable them to use digital tools and media.
2. teachers are not well enough trained in the didactic requirements for training very old  people.

GANYMED reacts to this situation and postulates that this deficit is best addressed by  better training of teachers. Therefore GANYMED develops and evaluates didactic  systems, contents and structures for teachers in the age-appropriate education of very old  people in the field of digital communication and media using the methods of geragogy  (science of education in old age). The materials and didactic concepts created are intended  to enable teachers to convey the dynamic content and potential of digital media and  communication in an age-appropriate manner on a well-founded basis, thus enabling the  70+ generation to participate in digitization. The project results will be spread by  GANYMED community platform and will be distributed in Europe as Open Education

Resources. The project results can then make a valuable contribution to the integration of  the 70+ generation in society in times of crisis and beyond.