Community Living Campaign

Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.

Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.

BTOP

Join the Final Push on This Year’s City Budget

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Get Connected! Stay Connected!

Public Hearing June 21 at 10:00 at City Hall

The Board of Supervisors will hold its last big public hearing on Friday June 21 at 10:00 a.m. before finalizing recommendations from the Budget and Finance Committee to the full Board for Fiscal Years 2013-14 and 2014-15.

The Mayor has recommended funding to maintain the computers and continue a basic level of training at the BTOP computer centers.   Come thank him and urge the Board to support that funding, which is $600,000 in Year 1 and $800,000 in Year 2 in the Dept. of Aging and Adult Services Budget.

But we are not done yet. 

In 2010, the Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution No. 554-10 establishing a San Francisco City goal to “achieve broadband internet access to 90% of San Franciscans by 2015, with a focus on connecting seniors and low income households.”  Toward that end, we continue to advocate for the following:   

  • More employment and supported volunteer opportunities for seniors and people with disabilities as lab coordinators, tutors and bi-lingual trainers at accessible BTOP labs.
  •  Strengthen outreach and coordinate through development of a community-based Tech Council, preceded by a neighborhood-based planning process.
  •  Funding for senior centers to pay for printer ink, paper, other supplies at the Centers and Labs.

See We Are Making Progress – June 7 for more details.

You can help if you do one or more of the following:  

Testify before the Board of Supervisors – Hearing begins at 10:00 a.m. in the Board Chambers, Room 250 City Hall.  Come sign a postcard or help us deliver postcards to the Mayor and the Supervisors.   Support other groups seeking to address cuts to important community programs.  

Express your opinions On-line by emailing your Supervisor or share on Facebook.  Visit our Keep Us Connected Facebook Page. 

Watch the hearing live on SFGovTV.  You can watch it live on your computer. Go to http://sfgovtv.org and click the link for SFGovTV live. (Best to try out in advance, as you may have to download free software from the site for it to work on your computer.)

Watch the hearing live on Comcast Channel 26.

For more info,  call 415-821-1003 ex. 1 or email  marie@sfcommunityliving.org.

Mayor Lee’s Proposed Budget Supports Digital Inclusion!

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We were sooo happy to hear the Mayor and see his proposed budget today.   Our efforts through the Keep Us Connected Campaign put access to computers, training and support high on our list.

While we thought there might be good news, seeing it in writing makes it real.  The Mayor’s budget said…

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“In 2010, the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded $7.9 million to San Francisco for a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). The purpose of the award was to increase technology accessibility in San Francisco with a focus on bridging the digital divide of seniors and adults with disabilities. Of the $7.9 million, HSA received approximately $3.0 million for DAAS Senior Programs. While the activities have helped to enrich the lives of seniors and adults with disabilities, this important work would not be continued after September 2013 without new funding. The FY 2013-14 and 2014-15 budget contains over $1.4 million in General Fund support to continue this program.

Over the next two fiscal years, DAAS will work with each of the existing 54 BTOP sites to ensure program effectiveness.”        Mayor Lee’s 2013-14 & 2014-2015 Budget May 31, 2013.

There will be more to do before this budget is final, but for today, we will just enjoy this very good news!

I need to say that the Community Living Campaign is about a whole lot more than computers and social media.  So we also applaud the Mayor for funding many other important programs and services.   This includes eliminating the cuts to behavioral health programs and restoring funding to HIV & AIDS services, expanding support for meals for seniors and persons with disabilities, providing a long over-due wage increase for homecare workers and the list goes on and on.

So thanks Mayor Lee, Supervisors Chiu and Farrell, and all who helped bring this hopeful budget forward.

It is like finding water after a long walk in the desert.

 

Upcoming Town Hall Meetings on the Budget – Let Your Voice Be Heard!

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ADTS_join260Today, Mayor Ed Lee and members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors announced a series of Budget Townhall meetings, with the first set for this Saturday.   These are good opportunities for residents to learn more about the City’s priorities and make their issues know.   We hope you will come and make your voice heard in support of the Keep Us Connected Campaign and other issues that impact seniors, adults with disabilities and their hands on care providers.  A brief summary and more information is available HERE and on the Campaign link above.   The Townhall meetings are  as follows:

Districts 1 & 4 with Supervisors Eric Mar & Katy Tang – Saturday, April 20, 2013 (10:00 – 11:30 a.m.), George Washington High School, 600 32nd Ave. 

Districts 10 & 11 with Supervisors Malia Cohen & John Avalos – Monday, April 22, 2013 (6:00 – 7:30 p.m.), Southeast Community Facility, 1800 Oakdale Avenue

Districts 8 & 9 with Supervisors Scott Wiener & David Campos – Saturday, May 4, 2013 (9 – 10:30 a.m.), Cesar Chavez Elementary School, 825 Shotwell Street

Districts 4 & 7 with Supervisors Katy Tang & Norman Yee, Saturday, May 11, 2013 (10 – 11:30 a.m.), Location TBA

Districts 5 & 6 with Supervisors London Breed & Jane Kim, Monday, May 13, 2013 (6:00 – 7:30 p.m.), Main Library, Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin

Districts 2 & 3 with Supervisors Mark Farrell & David Chiu, Saturday, May 18, 2013 (10 – 11:30 a.m.), Location TBA

City Hall Transformed to a Place of Technology Learning

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Thanks to Jack Chin, Tom Loftus and skilled folks at SFGovTV, we have featured highlights from the 2012 Aging and Disabilities Technology Summit to share and to remember. On May 15th, City Hall was transformed by the  team of organizations listed below to host a stimulating day of speakers, workshops and hands-on learning. What was highlighted that day will be happening all over the City at BTOP computer sites. To find a class near you, go to the SFConnected calendar at www.sfconnected.info.  For Community Living Campaign’s calendar of a social media classes, go to www.clcsocial.org or the calendar page on this blog.

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While CLC took the lead in organizing the event, it was made possible by the generous support of the following sponsors and organizational supporters:

Media Sponsors: Fox Channel 2, KTSF Channel 26, Univision – Channel 14 and Comcast

Event Sponsors: Family Caregiver Alliance, On Lok, San Francisco Health Plan, SCAN Health Plan and Verizon.

Event Supporters: Mayor Edwin M. Lee, Board of Supervisors, President David Chiu, SF Dept. of Aging and Adult Services, SF Dept. of Recreation and Parks, SF Dept. of Technology, SF Public Library, California Telephone Access Program, Community Technology Network, Community Living Campaign, Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), ReliaTech, Self-Help for the Elderly, San Francisco Interfaith Council, and Tyze Personal Networks.

 

Keep Your Brain Fit By Engaging Online

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Back by popular demand, Michael Merzenich, Ph.D was a main speaker during the plenary session at the Aging and Disability Technology Summit.  Dr. Merzenich is the chief scientific officer for Posit Science.  For more than three decades, he has been the leading pioneer in brain plasticity research – the ability of the brain to contantly change, grow, and remap itself during the course of a lifetime.   This includes the  ability to repair itself in the wake of an injury.  When an area of the brain is damaged, the activities associated with that region can sometimes move to another area of the brain, allowing the person to recover functionality.   People can also enhance the flexibilty of the brain by “exercising it”, much like your muscles are improve by exercise.  

The new computers Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) Computers arriving at senior and community centers all over the City have Posit Science brain-fitness software installed on them. 

For an updated list of computer training sites where you can exercise your brain on-line, go to http://www.sfconnected.info/

To hear Dr. Merzenich’s presentation at the Summit, go to:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVXePdC-4E4

To learn more about this how this all works, go to  http://www.positscience.com/human-brain/brain-plasticity/about-brain-plasticity

 

Aging & Disability Technology Summit Registration is Open

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It is time to close the digital divide so that all of us, regardless of age, income or abilities, can tap its amazing potential for social engagement, health and well-being, financial security, and opportunities for social action, creative expression and life-long learning.

Sign up to be an active part of this movement by registering to attend the Aging and Disability Technology Summit on Tuesday, May 15, from 8:30 to 5:00 at San Francisco City Hall.   Sign up today and bring a friend who might benefit from learning more about how computers and the internet can enrich our lives.  Register yourself and up to 5 guests by going to http://tinyurl.com/ADTechSummit.

Tools to Build and Connect Your Personal Network

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What is Tyze and why do I keep seeing and hearing about it here in San Francisco?

Tyze was developed by the PLAN Institute of Canada and San Francisco was an early Beta testing site, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

When life is challenging, you don’t have to go it alone if you have a network – a Tyze network.

With Tyze you rally a personal network – friends family, neighbors and more – and connect them securely over the Internet. Keep those close to you updated with stories and photos and collaborate together with user-friendly care coordination tools. Your data is secure and there is no advertising.

With Tyze you can do practical things to make life easier and keep organized. Stay in touch with friends and family, organize medical appointments, keep track of medications, schedule outings, share stories and photos, store private documents and much more.

Tyze is one of the important programs that are featured on the new BTOP computers arriving at senior and community centers across San Francisco.

Want to learn more? View this brief video tour of Tyze or visit www.tyze.ca.

Mission*Social – Our New Collaborative Work Space

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 We have a cool new work place while we organize the Aging and Disability Technology Summit on May 15th at City Hall.   We share this space with lots of interesting groups, including the Community Technology Network (CTN), a partner in the City’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).  Our address is 972 Mission Street, 5th Floor, but our mailing address remains the same – P.O. Box 460400, San Francisco, CA 94146.   You can still call us at (415) 821-1003.  We are delighted to learn more about how to share space, resources, and ideas in a collaborative setting.  

Learn to Use Skype to Connect with Friends and Family

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With new computers finding there way to senior and community centers all over town, time to roll our trainings.  For the Community Living Campaign, we are beginning at most sites with a  Skype training.  Here Marie’s daughter, Amy, volunteered to help residents of Bethany Center chat with each other in different rooms and even to residents upstairs in their apartments.  With the help of Bethany Center staff, the residents who spoke 4 different languages, all learned together.

What’s Skype?  A free, easy way to use your computer to make no-cost video calls – to people across the street or around the world.    To learn more about Skype and where to find the next Skype training, go to https://sites.google.com/site/clcsocialmediatraining/.

These trainings are sponsored by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and the San Francisco Department of Aging and Adult Service.