by Carol Leish, MA
How do you connect people to the services that they need? How do you use the technological devices to connect people to a greater world?
“’Digital’ is not just connecting to another person. It is either connecting to a person, to a service, or to a platform,” according to Victoria Jump, MPA, Director of the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging(VCAAA). “We connect others to a network, which is a way of dealing with loneliness.”
There are various technological resources available on the website, www.vcaa.org, under: ‘Digital Resources.’ ‘VC Connects,’ at: www.vcconnects.org, was launched in summer of 2021, is a program designed to bridge the digital gap for older adults and people with disabilities living in Ventura County. VC Connects allows users to complete any online task, including video chats with friends, family members, and doctors. The program offers the use of Chromebooks, which includes internet enabled hotspots, and is provided at no charge. This allows users to stay active and engaged.
“Get Set Up: www.getsetup.com, according to Jump, “is a platform to take classes with others in the privacy of your own home. People make friends in small live classes online which are provided in multiple languages. In fact, this gives older adults the opportunity to watch a class, and then realize that they can teach a class on a particular topic themselves since Get Set Up is always looking for instructors. Thus, it is a good possibility of employment.”
“The mission that we have has been for ‘Digital Inclusion,’ in order for no one to be left out,” according to Monique Nowlin, MPPA, Deputy Director at VC Area Agency on Aging. “Remember, during the pandemic, we were using Zoom more, which included having Tele-Health appointments. This broke down geographical barriers.”
“Trualta (www.trualta.com) provides me with information, if I want to know more about caregiving,” according to Nowlin. “It is an online tool for managing care at home that enables caregivers to explore options for challenging behaviors and discover ways to further connect with loved ones, connect, share, and learn with fellow caregivers.”
“Trualta is a web-based caregiving platform,” according to Jump. “If the only time that you have is in the middle of the night, you can go on Trualta and receive a brief training then.”
“We can not do Tele-Health appointments unless we have a laptop. We are helping people of modest means to have laptops and Chromebooks for them to be able to be connected. The Chromebooks for people can be checked out since we are in a partnership with the VC Libraries.”
The VC Connects Website: www.vcconnects.org, also offers seniors and people with disabilities to get access to Google Home, which can be set up with WIFI. It can remind people when to take their medicine or answer a question about the weather for the day, etc.
Jump focused on how things are different now by saying, “Things have been changing. Over ten years ago, we saw a larger percentage of people in their 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s who did not use computers other than using them for email. But now we are seeing how much more well-connected older adults are with using computers. However, there are still difficulties in all the changes taking place in technology. We view technology as a tool for people to be connected to the greater world.”
Nowlin elaborated upon this by saying, “Older people have become more independent using Zoom, etc. It is a continuous education because, ‘You don’t know what you don’t know” Through learning and gaining knowledge about technology, older adults and individuals with disabilities can and will feel more comfortable with using technology in order to deal better with the expanding technological world.”
