SUPPORT OUR INITIATIVE TO KEEP SENIORS SAFE
As COVID-19 spreads, access to the internet was shown to be a critical need for telehealth, ordering medications and groceries, and staying in touch with families and friends. Show your support for our Home Connect program by donating here.
2019 ANNUAL REPORT AVAILABLE
We are pleased to make available our 2019 Annual Report, delayed due to ongoing shifts in both focus and priorities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Preparing this document proved challenging: The work was a constant reminder of what we considered “normal” and highlighted the uncertainties which accompany our “new normal.”
CTN LEARNER SPOTLIGHTS
- Maria Bajarano – Older adult learner Maria Bajarano’s choir teacher first told her about CTN’s Home Connect program, encouraging her to apply. Maria had never used a tablet or computer and could only use her smartphone for phone calls and texting. After a few short weeks, she is exercising in Zoom sessions and watching movies on YouTube. Don’t miss the rest of Maria’s great story.
- Linda Z. – “We seniors are the most vulnerable group to contract COVID-19. We are trapped at home and we need the digital skills to contact the outside world. I am very thankful that CTN provided such valuable training for me. Digital skills have opened the outside world to me; life is full of joy again.” Read the rest of Linda’s story.
- Socorro Galvez – Many of us are fortunate enough to have learned to play a musical instrument as a child; others learned to play but have let those skills deteriorate. A much smaller group made a commitment as an adult to fulfill a lifelong dream of learning to play a musical instrument. Learn how Socorro used her Home Connect training to learn the guitar.
- Elpidia Morales – While every Home Connect’s older adult learner’s story is unique, we try to identify program “firsts” when they occur. Elpidia’s story falls in that category as our first COVID survivor! She discovered that using a drawing app on her tablet helped her manage her depression and better cope with her isolation. Here is more of her journey.
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: MISSION NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS
Mission Neighborhood Centers, a valued CTN partner, is a bountiful referral source for potential Home Connect learners. Since the pandemic began, they have referred 25 older adults for training. Their legacy of providing a continuum of educational programs and social services to community populations most in need extends over 100 years.
AUSTIN’S SOCIAL INCLUSION TASK FORCE
Since the pandemic’s arrival, the digital divide among older adults has become an even more significant barrier for them to access programs and services only accessible remotely through technology. Austin’s Aging Services Council led a coordinated effort to address the digital inequity among older adults to help combat social isolation and its effects on health and quality of life.
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: DEEPA VARGHESE
While teaching her grandparents in Canada to use technology, Deepa Varghese witnessed firsthand the difference technology makes in the life of older adults and realized the importance of digital literacy and internet access for isolated seniors. She learned of CTN’s need for digital coaches because of a Google search. Follodw along for more about Deepa’s personal story.
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: AL HO
“Being a digital literacy instructor was a life-changing experience for me. Sitting face-to face (before COVID) with an older adult learner was what I needed. It made me happy to see the smiles on their faces as they learned new things about their tablet, the internet, and about themselves.” Learn more about Al’s commitment to CTN’s mission.
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