URI partners in program to increase digital access for older adults
The digiAGE Initiative aims to connect more older adults to digital tools, giving them greater access to information, connecting them to others and contributing to the fight against the pandemic.
The program will
enhance efforts to equip residents living in areas hard hit by the crisis with
smart devices, internet services, and related training to help them access
online resources, work remotely, and virtually communicate with family and
friends. URI students and faculty members will provide tech support and
training. There is no cost to participants.
Visit https://cutt.ly/CyberSeniors for more information and to
sign up for the program.
“Our team at URI is excited to expand the reach of this intergenerational program to include those hardest hit by the pandemic so that we can further enhance communication and problem-solving skills among our university students, many of whom will go on to work with older adults in their careers,” said Skye Leedahl, associate professor of human development & family science and leader of the Engaging Generations program.
“For students, this service-learning opportunity
promotes leadership skills, builds confidence and empowers them to work with
the diverse older population.”
Technology is a fundamental aspect of life, yet more than 40 percent of adults older than 65 lack broadband access, and 25 percent of older adults are not online at all, according to the Pew Research Center. The numbers are even higher in lower-income areas.
That equates to 30,000 older adults in the community who
lack access to technology, according to an Office of Health Aging survey,
leaving them vulnerable to greater isolation — especially during a pandemic —
and a lack of information critical to their health and well-being.
“This
pandemic has magnified the importance of technology to bridging physical
distance and fostering social connection, but has also laid bare the digital
inequities that persist across our state,” said Governor Gina M. Raimondo.
“This partnership will allow us to expand access to digital tools while also
helping us slow the spread of this virus.”
The digiAGE Collaborative is comprised of a growing list of industry, government, academic and community partners working together to bridge the digital divide for older adults through coordinated investments in smart devices, internet services, digital literacy training, and online content creation.
As part
of the program, a multilingual toolkit and train-the-trainer curriculum will be
developed to promote peer-to-peer learning. Research will also be conducted to
evaluate the benefits of the program on participants’ digital literacy and
quality of life.
“Digital literacy and access are critical today,” said OHA Director Rosamaria Amoros Jones.
“Too many older adults aren’t online, locking them out of the
opportunities and support made possible by technology. We started the digiAGE
Collaborative to bridge this digital divide. I am grateful to partners like URI
who stepped in to lend their expertise. And I am especially proud of this
program, which will bring younger and older generations together to learn and
grow and support our multilingual learners across the state.”
With
substantial investments in the Rhode Island Geriatric Education Center,
the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and intergenerational
programs like Cyber-Seniors, URI has made a concerted effort to
expand access and opportunities to older adults in the community. Those efforts
were validated when the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education named
URI an Age Friendly University,
one of only 14 universities in the country to earn the distinction.
“We
are buying into a commitment to make the University a more hospitable place for
older people,” said Phillip Clark, professor and director of the gerontology
program at URI. “It’s a great opportunity for URI to show leadership in the
state and the country. We’re thinking big about aging in new ways.”
Funding
for this program is made possible by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic
Security (CARES) Act and the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island
Community Health Fund donor advised fund. For more information about the
digiAGE Collaborative and Rhode Island’s efforts to promote digital equity,
visit www.oha.ri.gov/digiAGE.