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.

Zoom

Bridging the Digital Divide in Unique Ways

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The need for more accessible and affordable technology to connect seniors and people with disabilities doesn’t end when the state officially opens.

Just because everyone is no longer sheltering in place doesn’t mean people — especially in underserved communities — don’t struggle with a lack of digital access, digital literacy, or tech support that have become so fundamental to our connected lives.

That’s why Community Living Campaign has partnered with the San Francisco Tech Council to regrant $50,000 in Equity and Innovation funding from Metta Fund to five community-based organizations that work to close the digital divide. We want to accelerate that work to decrease social isolation and improve wellness.

“We’re giving an opportunity to organizations that don’t have access to other funding so they can pilot ways to reduce social isolation and loneliness through tech access,” said Margot Rose Lederer, the equity and innovation pilot coordinator for the SF Tech Council.

“The pandemic was not all that different for some isolated seniors or adults with mobility challenges or who didn’t have access to transportation,” she said. “They always needed ways to connect to the world around them. It’s hard for them to attend things in person anyway, and that isn’t about to change.”

The whole grant process has also highlighted the need for multi-lingual tech training, so we’ve encouraged and supported groups that offer that.

Here are the organizations that received the grants.

Curry Senior Center

This group is funding Vietnamese-language digital literacy and tech training by lending tablets. This project focuses on the Tenderloin neighborhood, while the group also seeks to serve the LGBT community.

They’re providing tablets, training support and internet connectivity. They’re also expanding their digital resource programs for seniors.

Family Caregiver Alliance

They’re providing tablets, in-home support and internet connectivity for six months to Spanish-speaking caregivers. The goal is to improve health outcomes for the client as well as enable more professional learning and support for the caregivers. Caregivers have become especially isolated during the pandemic without the benefit of in-person and direct support.

“This group has struggled more with shifting to Zoom, in part because of their lack of tech,” Margot said. “Family caregivers also suffer from isolation and exhaustion due to the 24/7 nature of their roles.”

Felton Institute

“The focus here is on improving connectivity and access to health services for an often transient population,” Margot said. “That’s a challenge because it’s hard to keep in touch with people who move more than most.”

The Institute specializes in helping people with behavioral health challenges throughout the city; it’s in a good position to help this population.

Mission Neighborhood Center

This grant focuses on a small group of LatinX, Spanish-speaking seniors in the Mission District, partnering with health providers to improve wellness and fitness.

This group had exercise classes and health screenings before the pandemic. The grant enables them to integrate digital devices, like Fitbit step trackers. That lets individuals monitor themselves and keep up with their activities, Margot said.

Televisit

This nonprofit tech organization customizes tablets to make them simpler to use, targeting Chinese seniors. They’re also providing in-home support and internet connectivity. That makes it easier to participate in social activities and connect with family.

In particular, the tablets are designed for those with cognitive decline and linguistic, cultural and personal limitations.

Since receiving funding, this group has also incorporated classes on racism. The rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has increased the tension and fear, especially in the senior community.

“In these pilots, we’ve enabled groups to innovate and iterate as the project progresses if they see an additional service they can contribute,” Margot said.

 

To find out more about the SF Tech Council, visit their website.

Learn more about other ways CLC helps people connect through technology, read this.

Resilience Takes Confidence and Adaptability, Laura Says

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It’s worth taking a moment to celebrate just how resilient we’ve been in the last year. This is a key quality at healthy aging and thriving in life, and we’ve all been tested by COVID-19.

As May is Older Americans Month, we’re spotlighting a couple of our staff members who have done a great job of demonstrating strength and resilience and what that means.

“For me, resilience means having inner confidence and a belief in myself,” said Laura Atkins, our METCC Community Connector. “It means being able to adapt to changing circumstances, knowing where to find resources and being willing to ask for help and offer help.”

There are plenty of ways we’ve seen that play out since the pandemic made us all shelter in place. The business community adapted by offering more take-out and delivery services, she noted. Some restaurants even offering drinks to go!

Getting on Zoom

All the participants in Community Living Campaign’s activities on Zoom also deserve applause. They embraced the often awkward and unfamiliar experience of trying a new way to be part of exercise classes, musical performances and art programs.

Indeed, that exercise is part of what Laura says has helped her feel strong through this period.

“Keeping to a healthy lifestyle as much as possible — eating well, exercising and spending time with friends and family — is a big part of how I continue to feel strong and resilient,” she said.

“I’ve also been pushing myself physically by walking up the hills and stairs of Bernal Hill and meeting with friends outside to swim at Aquatic Park. That helps support my mental strength as well and keeping a positive mindset.”

Laura also helps others stay connected to each other by co-hosting an ongoing program we named — appropriately — Community Tales!

Calling & Writing Cards

Beyond CLC, she helps support others to feel strong and resilient by calling and writing cards and then listening. We all need to feel heard.

A fun tradition she’s formed is having Zoom dinners with friends.

“One of my best friends and I turn on Zoom while cooking, talk and then sit down to share the same dinner we each made separately.”

Throughout it all, she’s actually been able to reconnect with some old friends and has seen those friendships get stronger.

“I’ve also been able to build connections with new friends, particularly in the CLC neighborhood,” Laura said. “My walking area has grown as well. I now walk (masked) with a new friend in the METCC neighborhood. Big hills and walking friends are found all over San Francisco.”

 

Read another profile of our Community Connector Nicky Trasvina.

Connecting Neighbors with Tech Devices

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Church activities. Seeing your family, especially grandchildren. Spending time with friends. Taking exercise classes. Staying mentally active with community college classes. The list of reasons that neighbors want to use technology goes on and on.

That’s why we’re loaning devices like laptops and tablets to seniors over 60 and adults with disabilities who live in San Francisco.

“As active as I am in church and other activities I do, I need to know this,” said Dorothy Cook, who recently received a device. “It’s a need, not a want.”

She also runs a nonprofit preserving gospel music, but that hasn’t been working at all because she needs to learn technology better, she said. She’s also like to be better able to continue teaching children at church and get back to being more active with other nonprofits in her community.

Community Living Campaign’s Neighborhood Tech Connect program also offers training — not just the devices.

Help is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese via virtual help desks and classes as well as individually scheduled sessions.

Everything on Zoom

For Norma Block, one of her main tech challenges was not knowing how to do everything on Zoom or erase old emails.

But with her new laptop and some training, she now feels able to participate in Zoom classes offered by CLC, keeping up with email and Googling information.

“I also enjoy feeling connected to a city college literature classes and a Tibetan Buddhist organization which I belong to.”

Tech Training Classes

“I was trained by Peter Karpathakis once and found him to be kind, patient, articulate and encouraging,” Norma said.

Peter, the program manager of Neighborhood Tech Connect, and some of the other trainers go out of their way to help, said Dorothy, the church-going, gospel-loving participant.

For her, sometimes the classes have been a little too advanced for her understanding of the technology. But Liz Dunlap and Peter “have been very patient and go slow enough that I can learn. I like that they say there are no stupid questions.”

Getting these devices opens up a whole new world for some people, said Bethany Schwarz, the NTC Device and Access Project Director.

“Many seniors have watched others in the home, like their grandchildren or spouse, use technology throughout the pandemic to talk to people, play games, or watch cooking videos,” she said. “When I tell them they can get their OWN device, just for themselves to use, it’s as if, suddenly, a whole world has opened up around them. They get to imagine all the things they will be able to do. ‘I can take my exercise class? Will I be able to see my grandbaby?’

“It lights up my day to tell them, ‘Yes, you can do that. Yes! You can do that too!’”

Besides the devices and training, CLC can also help if your Internet connection is unreliable. We help participants determine the services needed and assist in applying for free or low-cost Internet service.

 

To find our upcoming tech classes in various languages, click here.

To learn more and see if you’re eligible, contact us at tech@sfcommunityliving.org or 415-821-1003, ext. 109.

Connecting More Through Tech: Zoom Training a Success

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After taking our new Zoom training program, Mary Fleming said she’s doing more on the video conference platform. That’s opened up her opportunities for connection, entertainment, and fun education while staying safe at home.

“The class allowed me to learn more about Zoom. “I am able to log in easier and I recently logged into two CLC Zoom art classes, which I enjoyed,” she said.

Community Living Campaign (CLC) co-sponsored the pilot program with the Network For Elders in the Bayview, which was part of the city’s plan to bridge the digital divide — the lack of internet access, devices and digital literacy access among lower-income residents and communities of color.

Many of the participants weren’t regular computer users before the class and were motivated to learn how to video conference since COVID hit.

As the pandemic dragged on, they saw more uses for the technology to stay connected with others even while sheltering at home.

Beverly Taylor, Coordinator of the Network for Elders saw the need growing.

CLC partnered with them to devise a basic Zoom training class to get more beginners up to speed. We also provided a class for people who had used Zoom before and were excited to learn some of the more advanced features.

Staying Connected Digitally

“We know it’s more crucial than ever to learn technology like this so community members can stay connected,” Beverly said. “These skills mean they can see not just our activities, but also keep in touch with their neighbors, family, friends and church communities.” (Read more about Beverly here.)

Partners including Christy Folau at the Bayview Senior Center helped with initial outreach to the Network seniors. She made sure seniors in the area knew about this opportunity and helped people register.

Chester Williams, who works with both CLC and the Network for Elders, led the six-week Zoom Training program. He’s devoted many years to bringing the technology to minority communities. (You can read about Chester here.)

For some participants, this was their introduction to the basics of Zoom. Others had used the video conferencing already and were more interested in slightly more advanced or fun features, like the chat window and virtual backgrounds.

“I learned how to use the chat function,” said Gloria Edwards. “It was fun to use one of the reactions symbols in one of my virtual church meetings. I want to learn about hosting my own Zoom meetings in the future.”

Of the 26 people who started the program, 19 completed it.

What’s next?

We’re reviewing feedback from the program and hope to offer it again in 2021. We’re getting a better understanding of seniors’ skill level and knowledge about technology.

The pilot also helped our organization identify some of the problems of basic access, said Sherri Hayes Sawyer, CLC’s Vision and Hearing accessibility manager, who served as Project Manager. For example, who doesn’t have internet access at home or not a high-enough quality for video.

Even more, we learned who only has a cell phone and needs a computer. We’re working on addressing that, too. Some people even needed an email address or didn’t know the basics of using email.

“We’re taking time to figure out what worked in the pilot,”  Sherri said.  “We want to more clearly target the needs of seniors and reach more who need this kind of training. Stay tuned!”

CLC offers many virtual tech training courses and a Tech Help Desk every week, which you can access by phone. You can find your options here as part of our extensive activity calendar.