Context and Rationale
“Puerto Rico is aging more rapidly than almost any country. In the last 10 years, Puerto Rico has nearly doubled its percentage of adults older than age 65 from 13% in 2010 to 21% in 2019… left behind older adults in Puerto Rico are facing the reduction of social resources and potential caregivers, disrupted social networks and environments, and increased social isolation: social factors highly associated with overall health and well-being in late life. (Aging and the Left Behind: Puerto Rico and Its Unconventional Rapid Aging The Gerontologist, Volume 62, Issue 7, September 2022,Pages 964–973).
The challenges of this unprecedented growth are compounded by the still prevalent negative impact of the global pandemic on this population. UK-based Help Age International (https://www.helpage.org) reports that the pandemic has exposed age discrimination like never before. The elderly have been separated and isolated, portrayed as weak and defenceless, and their rights have been ignored. This has taken a heavy toll on their health and well-being, with people in their sixties facing more violence, abuse, and neglect today than before the pandemic. We know that whilst society as a whole is enjoying the ‘return to normal’, the negative impact on health, mental, social and financial conditions of this sector make this a still to be achieved goal. Many feel that activities in the cultural and social sector do not take into consideration the themes and concerns of the older population focussing on the interests of the young.
Addressing the Need: the Positive Impact of the ‘Digital Shift’
The acceleration of the digital shift as the result of the pandemic, however, brought with it the seeds of new thinking that is beginning to address aspects of the aforementioned situation. International studies have demonstrated the value of digital tools in contributing to creative and cultural participation to the wellness in the aging population: “While older adults feel more isolated in 2020, many feel positive about the benefits of technology and have increased technology use during the pandemic to support their health, wellness, and communication needs. The results highlight the potential of technology for supporting older adults in various aspects of healthy aging” (Older People’s Use of Digital Technology During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Bulletin of Science & Technology Soc. 2022 Jun; 42(1-2): 19–24). In Puerto Rico, examples of action towards access and application of digital tools to support well-being are beginning to emerge. This project aims to add to efforts to increase and goes a step further by addressing and promoting cultural presence, defined as the interrelation of the following factors: cultural representation and engagement, social presence, and communicational aspects of technology (Pujol, 2018) .
Within the context of the project the term embraces action to open a space for the older population to be present, engage with and most importantly influence the cultural expressions and representations of Puerto Rican contemporary society. The term suggests an active relationship – an interaction that is not only technological “but also as a creative, imaginative, and potentially political mode of being” (Report Digital Access to Arts and Culture, Arts Council England, June 2022).
