Mouse Mobile
They help when you can no longer make sense of the digital world
The world is becoming increasingly digital. Our everyday lives, our very existence. You may not like it, but there's no getting away from it.
Those who haven't grown up with it - who don't naturally pick up how to use mobile phones, tablets and all the ever-changing means and forms of communication - often feel overwhelmed and are quickly left behind, excluded. Fortunately, there are people who are willing to help - on a voluntary basis and free of charge. The group is called Mouse Mobil.
The smartphone is becoming increasingly important
As far back as 17 years ago, there was advice and support available in Bocholt for older people. "It started with PCs", says Mouse Mobil member Franz Klein-Vorholt. That's how the name came about. A lot has changed since then, and the smartphone is now ubiquitous. It is the subject of around three-quarters of all the group's consultations.
You wouldn't expect that, given that you now see so many older people using mobile phones - whilst shopping or in the doctor's waiting room. In fact, however, the number of people seeking advice is not falling; on the contrary, it is actually rising. Whilst Mouse-Mobil recorded 218 such cases in 2018, the figure rose to 318 in 2024 following the Covid-19 pandemic, and even reached 420 in 2025.
One reason for this is that people are constantly being confronted with a rapid succession of new terms - particularly English-language ones - whose meaning is not immediately clear, especially to older people, and which are not easy to remember. "Many people don't know what to make of a browser", says Burkhard Jocks, another member of the 13-strong Mouse Mobil team.
And then you keep hearing or reading about new apps, and you're bombarded by providers touting the latest technology. Younger people - children and grandchildren - can help. However, they don't always have the time or the patience needed to explain things that are simple and obvious to them. It's much the same in mobile phone shops.
There are some people who keep coming back to us.
Stefan Niehuis, Consultant
© Stadt Bocholt
But you do want to be able to make phone calls, send photos and be part of a WhatsApp group. And in many cases, there's simply no getting round it: online banking, booking doctor's appointments via Doctolib, electronic health records, digital ID cards, the Deutschland-Ticket - "some people feel pressured", says consultant Stefan Niehuis.
And then there are people who need support, who are limited in their ability to communicate and for whom technical aids to communication are of great importance. Mouse Mobil is there to help in these situations too.
Always a listening ear
You can attend courses that provide general knowledge. The advice provided by the team at Mouse Mobil goes further; it is personalised and addresses specific individual needs. And they do so with patience. "There are some who come back to us time and again", says Stefan Niehuis. On Tuesdays between 10 am and 11.30 am at the Apollonia-Diepenbrock retirement home-Haus on Moltkestraße 4, and on Thursdays from 3.30 pm to 5 pm in the side room of the foyer at the Stadtsparkasse on Neutorplatz, the Mouse Mobil volunteers are there to listen. You don't need to book in advance. And: The discussions take place entirely "digitally".
There are certainly various reasons why, amongst those seeking advice "aged from 60 plus to over 90" (Franz Klein-Vorholt), there are more women than men. In the Mouse Mobil group, it's the other way round. Whether you're a man or a woman, the helpful counsellors would be delighted to welcome more volunteers. Given the high demand, it would be good if two or three more volunteers could be found - for a valuable voluntary role that helps enable fellow citizens to play an important part in social life. -jf
Participants wanted
Anyone wishing to volunteer to support the Mouse Mobil team is invited to attend one of the consultation sessions or to contact Sarah Bußmann at the City of Bocholt's Senior Citizens' Office, tel. 02871/953-2342.
Consultation hours
© Joachim Freund
- Every Tuesday: 10.00-11.30 am at the Apollonia-Diepenbrock-Haus care home for the elderly at Moltkestraße 4
- Every Thursday: 3.30-5.00 pm in the side room off the foyer of the Stadtsparkasse on Neutorplatz