Digital apps get a bad rap for disconnecting families, but one company has come up with an idea that reconnects generations by combining technology with print
Once upon a time some 20bn letters were pushed through UK letterboxes annually, a figure that has slumped to 6.7bn since smartphones took off. However, for many people, there’s still something special about receiving a personal update in the post.
“There’s a real sentimental value attached to more traditional methods of communication. I think that’s true for everyone, but especially older people,” says Nadine Callcutt, UK communications manager for the family newspaper platform Famileo.
Bridging the digital disconnect that can exist between younger and older generations, the French company launched nine years ago. The impetus came when one of its co-founders, Tanguy de Gélis, tried to get an elderly relative set up with a tablet – only to find the device gathering dust after a few months. Envisaging a form of communication that works for both the digitally savvy and the analogue-inclined, Famileo was born.
The platform converts digital messages and photos that subscribers share via the Famileo app into a physical family newspaper. A copy is delivered to the door of recipients each month, with senders also getting a pdf version to circulate as they wish. Senders benefit from the ease of digital communication, while their relatives enjoy the sense of occasion that comes with print, and the novelty of reading family updates in a newspaper. As Callcutt explains: “Famileo solves the issue of how to meaningfully connect with older relatives when you’re not in the same room as them.”
With 95% of the UK population predicted to use smartphones by 2025, it can be easy to overlook the fact that many elderly people simply don’t have access to the internet or don’t use it. According to Age UK, 30% of those aged 75 and over use the internet rarely or not at all.
For Kirsteen Bell, who lives in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Famileo has provided an opportunity to get closer to her elderly mother-in-law, who lives in a rural part of Staffordshire, England, without internet access. Bell and her husband have three boys – young twins and a baby – meaning they struggle to visit as often as they’d like. When she discovered Famileo shortly before Christmas last year, Bell knew it was an ideal gift.
“My mother-in-law gets [the newspaper] every four weeks and really enjoys it. We also have a family member in Australia who sometimes feeds in [with updates] and one who lives in London. It just keeps my mother-in-law up to date in a way that’s accessible to her,” Bell explains.
Loneliness is a major issue for older people in the UK. Many Famileo users report that the monthly newspapers – called gazettes – help keep older relatives connected, allowing them to feel part of their extended family’s day-to-day life no matter the distance.
Famileo is designed to be accessed by a community of family members, who can contribute from wherever they are in the world (both in terms of updates and pitching in with the £5.99 a month cost). All data shared is secure – the company guarantees no reselling and keeps family feeds free of advertising.
There’s a sentimental value attached to more traditional methods of communication. I think that’s true for everyone, but especially older people
Heather Fraser, who lives in the Highlands of Scotland, lives 250 miles from his parents who are in St Andrews. She found Famileo to be an important line of communication through her father’s cancer treatment.
“It meant that [my parents] had something else to look forward to,” she says. “My children had, unfortunately, quite a round of different illnesses – nothing serious, but they would have compromised him had they been near him. [Famileo] didn’t fill that hole, but it made it a bit easier for all of us. It was just the everyday things that we kind of take for granted. It’s been a great way of keeping in touch.”
As well as connecting those who are many miles apart, Famileo subscriptions can help take the pressure off family members who do live nearby. With regular updates in newspaper form, it’s no longer down to the one tech-smart relative living locally to provide all the news. This is something Bell appreciates, along with the app’s user-friendliness.
At Famileo’s heart is a desire to meet generations where they are, maintaining lines of connection and communication, even as technology evolves
“It’s super simple to use. I really like the functionality of being able to download the pdf as well. I sometimes send it to my sister-in-law [as well], who lives quite close to my mother-in-law, and she’ll be able to have talking points to chat with her.”
At Famileo’s heart is a desire to meet generations where they are, maintaining lines of connection and communication, even as technology evolves.
“Feeling like you belong is, we believe, key to your health and wellbeing,” says Callcutt. “I think the penny is dropping that just because you’re online and looking at lots of people living their lives, if you are not engaging with them, you are not getting the feeling of being part of something.”
She adds: “To feel part of something, it has to be reciprocal. One of the places you can start is family.”
For more information about Famileo visit their website here.
Images: Famileo
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