Staying connected: homebound seniors use “The Virtual Senior” center to keep in touch

It’s not that 86-year-old Milton Greidinger didn’t want to get out into the city that never sleeps, it was his age and chronic health issues that made it incredibly difficult for him to go out alone. A drastic change from the life Greidinger knew before he retired. A busy salesman and eventually a buyer for a department store, Greidinger had always been a social person. But with the onset of age and health problems, Greidinger became a shell of his former self, feeling increasingly isolated and alone in his New York apartment.

That is, until the Virtual Senior Center stepped in. Greidinger, and five other seniors, aged 67-103, were chosen from around the city to participate in a demonstration project made possible by a public-private partnership between Microsoft, the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) and Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), and Selfhelp Community Services, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to enabling seniors and at-risk families to live independently and with dignity in their own homes.

Seniors with age-related impairments, such as low-vision or hearing loss, can use assistive technology to regain independence in their own home and keep in touch with friends and family. The Virtual Senior Center is just that, an online center where seniors can log in to meet new people, catch up with old friends, even take a class or two.

Windows 7 is the operating system that launches the computers, and with the varied accessibility components of Windows, many seniors find this new technology to be easy to manage and use. For example, 81-year-old Ethel Warfield uses the magnifier in Windows 7 to read certain portions of the computer screen with greater ease.

Warfield told Microsoft that “the program is fantastic. As an older person, I’m amazed at the technology and it has totally changed my life.”

Not only can seniors interact with each other and keep up on the dailies, The Center has created a way for them to manage their health needs without leaving home. Through programs like MicrosoftHealthVault and Heart360.org, seniors at home can have some control over their health information and also make it accessible to families and doctors.

We’ll do our best to be the first to let you all know if and when a virtual senior center comes to Indianapolis; however, in the mean time, here are some helpful resources to help make the aging process a little more graceful.

CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions: CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions is a private, not-for-profit agency and one of 700 Area Agencies on Aging nationwide that provide information, advocacy and support services for older adults, people with disabilities, and their caregivers.

Telikin: This easy to use, big screen touch computer allows those with low or impaired vision and/or dexterity issues to view and use the computer in an easy and efficient way.

Activeforever.com: This site has everything you could possibly need to help you live a more independent life, from bookstands to alarms, they’ve got you covered.

Independentliving.com: Check out this site for great household products or search by need to find something that fits you!