This is an interesting piece from the New York Times. We often struggle with how to connect with socially isolated adults in the community. Some people are skeptical that computers and the internet are capable of improving their quality of life; however, I think this article offers a glimmer of hope.
New York Times: New Virtual Senior Center
Bringing older people online proved to be, in other words, a labor-intensive undertaking. But Selfhelp’s vice president for senior communities, Leo Asen, is convinced that the benefits justify it.
“How do you keep homebound seniors engaged with life?” Mr. Asen said. “Their social networks are shrinking. They tend to be more isolated, perhaps depressed or anxious.” But with cameras installed at the Rosenthal center, some stationary and some rolled around on carts, he added, “seniors at home can sign in and participate in a class, converse with the other students — it’s as if they were there.”
“It was like going from a nice, quiet retirement home back into the world of the living,” Mr. Greidinger told me later via — ahem — e-mail. He now uses his PC for a variety of useful purposes: He can order groceries online, take his blood pressure and upload the data to a personal health management site, and watch Frank Sinatra videos on YouTube. He Skypes with his social worker.