24th November 2025
While digital solutions are meant to make daily life easier, for some older people they have become a new barrier – especially when alternative ways to access services are no longer offered. This is highlighted in a review by the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson, which evaluated how institutions and service providers implement recommendations to reduce digital exclusion. The responses collected reveal widely varying practices: some already have effective solutions in place, while in other cases alternatives remain inconvenient or merely formal.
“Digitalization is not a problem in itself and often brings real progress. Challenges arise when only one door – the digital one – is opened, and everyone is expected to pass through it. It is the responsibility of public institutions and service providers to ensure that modernization does not leave people behind, but instead offers more choices rather than limiting them,” says Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson Birutė Sabatauskaitė.
Positive Steps Are Already Visible
Following a 2024 study on the digital exclusion of older people, the Office reached out to public institutions, municipalities, and private service providers to find out what measures companies and organizations are taking to make services accessible to older citizens. The information gathered shows a very uneven picture: some providers have functioning solutions, while others offer only general explanations or future plans.
Some institutions are actively seeking ways to make services easier to access for older people. For example, Utena District Municipality plans to establish a senior day center, providing assistance with everyday digital tasks. Eight municipal utility companies reported issuing free client cards, allowing customers to make payments without logging in digitally – meaning no apps or extra documents are needed. Swedbank stated that it covers notary visits to residents when disabilities or health conditions require evaluating someone’s ability to manage financial matters independently – a practical solution for people unable to visit a branch.
“When analyzing the data, we noticed leadership from smaller towns and districts – smaller communities seem to offer more solutions that reduce digital exclusion. For instance, non-digital ways to purchase public transport tickets are more widely available, and in some towns, transport is entirely free. In contrast, in the capital, tickets are digital-only, and no changes are planned in this area,” notes the Ombudsperson.
She also points to customer service centers in some smaller towns as a good example, where residents can pay for various utility services in one place without intermediaries.
Some Services Remain Hard to Access
The review also highlighted recurring problems. Many essential payments can still only be made in cash through intermediaries, who charge additional fees. Digital support in municipalities often depends on the initiative of individual employees – older people receive helpful assistance from librarians or social workers, even though such support is not formally defined or compensated.
“Barriers also arise when accessing services or essential goods in stores and pharmacies. Most ensure that people can shop in person, pay in cash, or use discounts without digital devices, such as with a discount card. However, there are exceptions: we have received multiple complaints about Lidl, where discounts are only available through a mobile app. While the company claims that the discount can be applied using the phone number linked to the discount system, this information is not clearly communicated in stores, and people continue to contact us about difficulties. Challenges also remain where only self-service checkouts are available, requiring assistance that must be requested and waited for,” the Ombudsperson emphasizes, adding that accessibility depends not only on the availability of alternatives but also on clear, visible, and understandable communication about them.
What Is Needed for Older People to Feel Real Change?
The Office recommends that digital assistance and alternative non-digital ways of accessing services be clearly defined and institutionalized, rather than left to goodwill initiatives.
Service providers are urged to assess whether people without digital skills can access the same service without additional fees, whether information about alternatives is understandable, and whether discounts or essential procedures are not “locked” behind apps.
“The most important thing is not how many plans or promises exist, but whether a person can actually receive a service in a way that works for them. If someone needs to pay a bill, claim a discount, or register for a service, they must be able to do so without extra fees, without complicated steps, and without requiring a smartphone. Practical solutions, where the conveniences of digital services are always accompanied by clear and functioning alternatives, represent true progress,” stresses B. Sabatauskaitė.