Charles Ford Retirement Communities will be launching a Cyber-Seniors® -inspired program. We couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity to get seniors more familiar with the vast world of technology and internet resources surrounding them.
Launching this New Technology Program
Executive Director of Charles Ford Retirement Communities, Amy Koch, calls the new initiative, Tech Time. “Our Life Enrichment Coordinator, Sydney Schmitt and a talented North Posey High School volunteer, Ashlynn Anderson, will work with each resident individually. The purpose of this program is to enhance the learning of technology while engaging residents with an intergenerational component and increasing socialization.”
Sydney loves that the residents are learning how to search the internet: “We search for favorite recipes or new ones to try on YouTube. We’re able to connect them with their loved ones on Facebook. We even downloaded GarageBand for a resident because she enjoys playing the piano. Now, she gets to play on the iPad.”
Being able to work with the residents provides a way for us to deliver that specialized, unique and individualized care we feel so strongly about providing each of our residents. Sydney says, “Currently, residents are learning how to use tablets, laptops, and iPhones, which is great because some of our residents actually have iPhones.”
The Future of “Tech Time”
Right now, “Tech Time” is still very new to The Charles Ford Retirement Communities campus. “We’ve started very small, asking residents if they want to join in on the fun. And, we’re starting to see how much they know and don’t know about the internet by asking if they’re heard of Google, YouTube, Facebook or if they know an email address of a loved one.” From there, Sydney and Ashlyn work with the residents to determine what they’d like to learn first.
As for the future of the program, Sydney would like to see more residents participate and for it to be an everyday activity. “We want the residents to use the tablets more regularly so they feel more comfortable with them. But, it’s also a neat component having a high school student as the one guiding our residents in the technology. We love the one-on-one time they get with Ashlyn.”
To learn more about Charles Ford Retirement Communities’ mission to “connect generations” and how you can get involved or donate, contact us at 812-682-4675.
