Senior Connect Archives - Community Tech Network

Learner Spotlight: Mr. Huang Dongpo

Anna Beth Lane — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 12:52:42 +0000

Recently, one of our Central Texas learners, Mr. Huang Dongpo, sent a letter of gratitude to his bilingual digital literacy Instructor, Naimei Tang. Mr. Dongpo is one of many seniors to benefit from Senior Connect— a collaborative program between AGE of Central Texas and CTN. When the Austin Asian Community Health Initiative (AACHI) recommended the program to him, he was enthusiastic to join. Below is his digital literacy journey, in his words. I am a Chinese-speaking senior citizen living in Austin who regularly participates in various activities organized by the Asian American Resource Center (AARC) for the Chinese community. I was also invited by AARC to volunteer to provide tai chi instruction and organize exercise activities for the Asian community. Unfortunately, due to the COVID virus, many activities could not be conducted. I am a senior citizen with poor English, so I was unable to provide services through the Internet before. AACHI helped me with this computer training, and it helped me a lot. Not only did I learn to use the tablet you provided to provide online tai chi instruction for AARC and organize online exercise for everyone, but I also learned about modern computer applications in general. Now, […]

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Senior Connect Update

Kami Griffiths — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 12:39:44 +0000

Last spring, we officially launched our Texas-based program Senior Connect — a collaboration between Senior Access, AGE of Central Texas, and CTN. Replicating nearly all aspects of our Home Connect program, Senior Connect is set to train 150 older adults to navigate the internet and utilize digital tools. With initial funding from Capital Area Council on Governments (CAPCOG), we met our original goal of training 50 referred learners between May and August. As the program continues to evolve and expand with new funding sources, we are proud to share an update of the program’s progress and implementation over its first couple of months! Program Administration Each organization played a distinct role in establishing, supporting, and maintaining the Senior Connect program. AGE of Central Texas provided the overall program administration and execution. Its staff managed and assigned trainers to the learners, prepared and delivered the training materials and tablets, maintained the database, provided troubleshooting, and reported status updates to CAPCOG. CTN staff developed the training materials in several languages, including English, Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese. We provided the training materials for new trainers and helped “shadow” new trainers on their first lessons to help guide and answer any questions. CTN also […]

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From Learner to Trainer: Karen’s Senior Connect Success

Anna Beth Lane — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 14:46:50 +0000

Senior Connect learner Karen Riley-Maiden has spent her life helping others in the human services sector. After retiring from her career, Karen moved from upstate New York to Round Rock, Texas, to be close to her sister. There, she quickly became involved with Senior Access — one of CTN’s nonprofit partners in Central Texas — to have help settling in. When the Senior Access staff told Karen about our collaborative Senior Connect tablet training program, she decided to give it a try. After working in social services for decades, Karen was already familiar with the basics of computers. She uses a smartphone to keep in contact with her kids and is familiar with navigating a device. At the same time, Karen recognizes just how quickly technology can change. The Senior Connect program helped Karen stay up to date with the digital world. The tablet provided her with easier access to her favorite tools and applications. Every month she uses video calling to connect with all her cousins for a virtual happy hour. She orders her prescriptions online and regularly has doctor appointments via telemedicine. She also likes to order groceries, watch movies, and remain connected to the world without leaving […]

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“Senior Connect” program launches to provide digital literacy and equity for older adults in Central Texas

CTN — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 14:41:19 +0000

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Learner Spotlight: Patricia Blaine

Anna Beth Lane — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 18:57:03 +0000

“I’m so grateful for this opportunity to reach the world through my tablet!” says Senior Connect learner Patricia Blaine. Born in Philadelphia, Patricia describes herself as a gypsy who has lived all over the place. With a husband in the Air Force, she spent time in Detroit, Nebraska, and Japan before winding up in Austin in 1971. A dedicated wife and mother throughout her life, Patricia Blaine is a performer at heart. Singing is her life’s vocation and great passion. Before having children, she worked as a professional singer and had made albums with the Motown group Challenger 3. Today, the 78-year-old Patricia is just as enthusiastic about singing as ever. She now wants to share that passion with the world via YouTube. To gain new digital skills and fully embrace the benefits of the internet, Patricia joined our Senior Connect program at our Texas-based partner, Senior Access. She dived right into the curriculum, unafraid to explore or make mistakes. With the help and support of her digital literacy instructor at Senior Access, Sylvain Lacasse, Patricia felt confident in navigating her tablet. “Mr. Sylvain was very patient with me,” reflects Patricia. “He really showed me what different things meant. I […]

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Connecting Seniors in Central Texas

Kami Griffiths — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 14:06:37 +0000

When the pandemic hit, Community Tech Network quickly changed its focus to support older adults who lack home internet access. We built a new program, called Home Connect, thanks to our longstanding partnership with the Department of Disability and Aging Services in San Francisco, who funded the staff time to develop it. Local foundations and corporations covered the cost of tablets provided to seniors. As we built and improved this program, we started sharing our knowledge with other agencies across the country. Several groups in Austin, Texas, were the first to participate in our training for trainers program. Through participation in the Social Inclusion Task Force in Austin, CTN developed partnerships with a few agencies that were interested in using our curriculum and replicating our Home Connect model. These agencies were awarded grants to address the social isolation experienced by older adults as a result of the stay-at-home order and participated in CTN’s training program to get started. This led to the creation of Senior Connect, a collaboration between Senior Access, AGE of Central Texas, and CTN. Replicating nearly all aspects of the Home Connect program, Senior Connect has secured enough funding to provide 150 older adults in Central Texas […]

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