Overview

• At the federal assembly in Magdeburg on August 28, the Senioren-Union is pushing a “Magdeburg Memorandum” that seeks a legal right to an analog life, including offline options for government services and banking.
• Leaders say people without smartphones should not pay more or lose access to discounts, and they call for paper forms, counter service and phone lines to remain available for a transition period.
• A ZDF 37° documentary aired on August 26 follows Sabine, Eva and Stephan, showing practical hurdles from parcel pickup to ticketing and highlighting non‑barrier‑free apps and websites for visually impaired users.
• Estimates of those left offline differ: BAGSO cites about four million older people not active online, while other reporting points to roughly seven million over‑60s offline and low internet use among those over 80.
• Local support is expanding through Volkshochschulen, church and welfare senior cafés, libraries and BAGSO’s DigitalPakt Alter, with practical help such as simplified interfaces, larger text and senior‑oriented phones.