PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Office of Healthy Aging, University of Rhode Island and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island have announced a partnership to connect seniors to digital tools that can help them fight the spread of COVID-19.
The new program – part of OHA’s digiAGE initiative – will help older adults with smart devices, internet services and digital training, OHA said in a statement.
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The digiAGE collaborative is a growing group of partners in industry, academic, government and community sectors working to help bridge the digital divide with older adults. OHA cites Pew Research Center data that shows 41% of Rhode Islanders who are over the age of 65 are not broadband users, which is even more likely if they are in lower-income areas. More than 25% of older adults in the state are not online, according to Pew.
“This pandemic has magnified the importance of technology to bridging physical distance and fostering social connection, but has also laid bare the digital inequities that persist across our state,” said Gov. Gina M. Raimondo.
“Too many older adults aren’t online, locking them out of the opportunities and support made possible by technology,” said OHA Director Rosamaria Amoros Jones. “For those helping to raise young children, limited digital fluency also affects their ability to support students who may be distance learning in the home right now … I am grateful to partners like URI who stepped in to lend their expertise.”
Through this pilot program, URI’s Engaging Generations Cyber Seniors program will focus on 200 older Rhode Islanders who live in communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The goal is to increase digital literacy, providing seniors with smart devices and training by URI students. Research will be conducted to evaluate benefits of the program on participants’ quality of life, OHA said.
“For students, this service-learning opportunity promotes leadership skills, builds confidence and empowers them to work with the diverse older population,” said Engaging Generations Cyber Seniors program lead Skye Leedahl, an associate professor in the Human Development and Family Science Department at URI.
The program is funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Community Health Fund, a corporate donor-advised fund of the Rhode Island Foundation.
Susan Shalhoub is a PBN contributing writer.
