Staying Fit
Beverly Black's pre-pandemic life was busy, including work as a childcare provider three days a week until the March lockdown in New York City left her alone at home.
Black, 68, didn't replace her old computer when it broke years ago. But after the coronavirus forced people to shelter in place, city officials and others worked quickly to get unconnected older adults online. Within weeks, Black had a new LG Android tablet, among 10,000 devices provided to those age 60 and older in the city, along with T-Mobile connectivity for two years and training — all free for those who signed up.
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"All they had to do was be a senior living in public housing,” says Tom Kamber, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Older Adults Technology Services (OATS). “We picked people on a first-come, first-serve [basis] and required them not to already have internet.” Now OATS has joined forces with AARP as an affiliated charity, like the AARP Foundation, Legal Counsel for the Elderly and Wish of a Lifetime.
Black has taken full advantage of the tablet from “virtual tours to other countries and different museums in London and the Louvre in Paris."
"I've been to virtual museums in New York,” she says. “I've actually had a virtual tour of the school my granddaughter is trying to get into."
Device powerful enough for video is crucial
The pandemic has drawn attention to just how critical technology access is for older adults, who are especially vulnerable to severe COVID-19. To avoid infection they have to stay away from family and friends who don't live with them. Many don't have internet or a computer — or their device is too old to support video connections — so they're missing out.
Another important reason to help older adults get online: so they can sign up more easily for their coronavirus vaccinations. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that states place people 75 and older among the highest priorities, right behind nursing home residents. COVID-19 is most deadly to adults 65 and older, and 95 percent of the deaths so far have been in people 50 and older.
City governments, nonprofits and communications companies across the country are stepping up to remedy the deficiencies in technology. Pockets of seniors in many communities are using new laptops or tablets with free internet and training, courtesy of partnerships aimed at averting the ill effects of isolation.
"This is a model that will grow around the country in 2021 as everyone wants to get seniors online,” Kamber says.
Among the leaders is the nonprofit Community Tech Network, with locations in the San Francisco Bay Area and Austin, Texas. Within a month of a wave of shutdowns in the United States, the group had launched Home Connect, offering hundreds of free devices and internet as well as virtual training. Most internet providers nationwide also offer low-cost options to those in need, but the specific amounts vary by provider and locale.
