In its first year, the Senior Citizens' Assistance Office helped more than 330 people complete various digital procedures

The Benidorm City Council's Senior Citizens' Office has helped more than 330 people in its first year of operation with various digital procedures, such as resolving problems related to mobile phone use, dealing with different public administrations, and obtaining digital certificates, among others. The Councilor for Innovation, Aida García Mayor, recalled that the launch of this service, included within the ‘Benidorm TIC’ project, aimed to “reduce the digital divide, especially among the older segment of the population” and stated that, “judging by the data from this first year of activity, we believe that this objective has been more than fulfilled, which is also aligned with our commitment to senior citizens and to making daily life easier for our residents.”

The Senior Citizens' Assistance Office is located in the Municipal Administrative Extension on Maravall Street and operates two days a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Qualified staff advise seniors and help them with online procedures or processes they are unfamiliar with.

Between March 25, 2025, when it began operating, and April 2026, this service managed a total of 807 appointments, an average of eight per day, according to the report presented this Thursday by Councillor García Mayor. This report also indicates that the number of unique users was 334, as some procedures required one or more appointments, demonstrating that "the staff not only attends to users but, in some cases, also follows up until the final resolution of the matter."

Sixty per cent of users were men, compared to 40% women. The main reasons for appointments included resolving all kinds of mobile phone problems—downloading and installing applications; activating backups; configuring email; and reviewing and resolving issues with the photo gallery, among others—as well as processing other administrative tasks.

These included obtaining the European Health Insurance Card or various digital certificates; applying for rental assistance or the Minimum Living Income; registering for IMSERSO programs; applying online for social housing; downloading draft tax returns; requesting appointments for medical consultations and/or services such as the SEPE (State Public Employment Service), SUMA (Madrid's Social Services Agency), or the Tax Agency; banking transactions; and managing the #BenidormTeDaMás (Benidorm Gives You More) consumer vouchers.

In short, according to Aida García Mayor, “procedures or formalities that are the daily reality with which younger generations live, but which for many older people can pose a great difficulty, hindering their access to many services” and that, with the support of this Senior Citizens' Office, “we help them to resolve in a short time and in a simple and completely free way.”

Courses

In addition to the activity report for this service, the Councillor for Innovation also announced the results of the free digital literacy courses held between February 2025 and April 2026 as part of the ‘Benidorm TIC’ project. These courses, which lasted approximately one month, had a total of 952 registered participants, 552 of whom are currently enrolled or have completed at least one course.

García Mayor explained that the training was aimed at the general public of all ages; at groups or associations, such as the Foietes Senior Citizens Association; and at citizens referred by other public services, such as the Senior Citizens' Office, the Department of Social Welfare, and the CRIS and CEEM centres.

65% of the participants were women, compared to 35% men. 48% of participants took the courses in the classroom at the José Llorca Linares Social Centre, with 542 applications. Courses were held there four days a week – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday – due to the large number of students. The La Torreta Social Centre hosted 17% of the participants (198 applications), while the Town Hall provided training for 35% of participants (397 applications). In these last two locations, training sessions were held two days a week.

These sessions offered courses on mobile phone use, in general and for basic, intermediate, and advanced levels, as well as other computer and office software training (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Google, etc.), online procedures, the use of AI, social media, and cybersecurity. Of all the courses, those related to mobile phones were the most popular.

The Head of Innovation reported that, to date, a total of 81 courses have been completed – 40 at Llorca Linares, 20 at La Torreta, and 21 at the Town Hall. During May, at least seven more courses will be underway for the general public and retirees, as well as one for Social Welfare users. Additional courses will be offered as they conclude.

Finally, Aida García Mayor emphasised that “there is a high level of student satisfaction, with 99% of those surveyed saying they would recommend taking a workshop, and 89% of participants reporting being very satisfied with them.”