Study: Digital Platforms Can Help Ease Isolation for Seniors

(TNS) — After collecting input from older residents and two dozen senior care organizations, the Council on Aging recommended last month that Framingham enhance and streamline services for older residents to more effectively support them during the pandemic — and in the future.

Lack of easy access to information and technology among some seniors has compounded the isolation people are experiencing as they limit in-person contact with others to avoid contracting COVID-19, an illness that has more serious consequences for older people, the Council on Aging report found.

To improve access, the Council on Aging subcommittee that produced the report recommends the city revamp its Council on Aging webpage to make it a "one-stop-shop" for information relevant to seniors, and expand efforts like the Callahan Center's program to loan low-income seniors ChromeBooks preloaded with internet plans and platforms including Zoom.

"There are always some people who don't want to use technology, but for those who do, we need to help them get and stay connected and overcome some of the adverse effects of isolation," said  Audrey Hall , who chaired the volunteer Council on Aging subcommittee convened to study the pandemic's impacts on seniors.

Some of that work has already started.

Callahan Center Director  Grace O'Donnell  is currently working with the Parks and Recreation department, which oversees the Council on Aging Department, to plan a rework of the Council on Aging webpage.

Some of the changes will accomplish elements of what Council on Aging board members recommended after hearing from seniors, including more cross-linking information available on other city webpages, such as the COVID-19 information page.

"It's a great idea to update the website," O'Donnell said, adding that the Callahan Center is considering hiring someone who has web design skills that could help make the site more robust and current.

Hall said the Council on Aging subcommittee also suggests changing the title of the webpage to show the Callahan Center's name, instead of the department that runs it, to make searching for senior-related programs and information easier.

"The logical thing to do in Framingham if you want information about seniors is to Google the Callahan Center," Hall said. "But if you Google the Callahan Center, you end up at a place that talks about the Council on Aging."

O'Donnell said the Callahan Center is run by the Council on Aging Department, and if the webpage name were to change, she'd like to get more feedback from seniors and ensure the new branding is well-publicized and consistent.

When it comes to internet access, Mayor  Yvonne Spicer  said the city is working to deploy more wi-fi hotspots throughout Framingham — one recommendation included in the Council on Aging report. Most of the hotspots will be installed in neighborhoods that have less internet access, she said, citing Beaver Street as one example.

Those hotspots would essentially mean anyone within range would be able to log onto the internet for free, though they would need to have a smart device and know how to use it.

With the recent extension of the CARES Act, Spicer said, the city now has ongoing funding that could be used to get devices like ChromeBooks into the hands of more seniors who don't already have them.

The Callahan Center's ChromeBook program, which includes over-the-phone training opportunities for all seniors, not just those who qualify as low-income, was paid for in part using Framingham's CARES Act funds, Spicer said.

RCN, an internet provider, has discounted internet plans that seniors can take advantage of, she added. People interested in learning more about those plans should call RCN.

O'Donnell said any programs that equip more seniors to use the web would benefit them socially, and help them participate in activities ranging from ordering food from local restaurants to telehealth visits.

"We're not trying to connect them just to the senior center. We're trying to connect them with their grandkids, their doctors," O'Donnell said.

But some people aren't interested in learning how to connect online, she said.

In prioritizing the improvement of senior services, the Council on Aging also suggested city departments work more collaboratively, funneling all projects that would help older residents through the Callahan Center and O'Donnell, according to Hall.

Currently, different programs for seniors are offered by different city departments, including the city's library system, making it difficult for seniors to find relevant information in one location, Hall said.

"Independent department initiatives for seniors don't work as well as collaborative citywide initiatives for seniors with all of the stakeholders working together," Hall said. "We see it as a tremendous opportunity if all of these efforts come together under the umbrella of elder affairs to deliver the best outcomes for the seniors."

O'Donnell said she agrees that better communication among city departments about programs that impact shared constituencies — in her case, seniors — would benefit residents.

She gave one example. The city recently expanded its tax deferral program for seniors, and when O'Donnell learned of the expansion, she reached out to the Assessor's Office to learn more so she could advertise the information to older residents who could be eligible.

"That's the kind of conversations we should all be having," O'Donnell said. "That conversation might prompt the assessor to know to get in touch with me in the future (about programs that help seniors)."

But O'Donnell thinks inter-departmental communication can improve without formally placing all programs that touch seniors under her purview. She said there are benefits to having programs for seniors at places like the library.

Spicer said that while there is room for improvement, the pandemic has necessitated more collaboration among city departments to help seniors than happened before, and that certain departments have been better suited for different programs that benefit older people during this crisis.

She used the city's emergency food program as an example. Seniors can use that program, driven by the health department and nonprofit community partners, to get free food delivered to their homes, an important need while the coronavirus remains a risk.

"There is so much that is happening that didn't happen before as a result of COVID," Spicer said.

The Council on Aging was recently scheduled to meet with members of Framingham's legislative delegation to discuss issues identified in the report, including the lack of state funding for surveillance coronavirus testing at assisted living facilities, which now-former Framingham Health Director  Sam Wong  recently called an "urgent" issue.

The Council on Aging's main goal in producing the report was to elevate the issues facing seniors and make solving those issues a priority for Framingham.

Most of the report's recommendations are aimed at mitigating the harmful effects of pandemic-induced isolation among seniors.

"What we started to see was a trend in how people felt that their health was being affected by isolation and fear of infection, and that people who had been physically active and involved were feeling like that lack of involvement, that lack of activity, that lack of participation with others was starting to take a toll on their health, both mentally and physically," Hall said.

"Someone said, 'I was very active and now I'm not, and I miss all of my activities and I feel unmotivated just sitting at home and it makes me sad,'" Hall remembered.

The Council on Aging subcommittee is now considering producing a follow-up report, one that captures the needs of more of Framingham's 14,000 seniors. In the future, the subcommittee wants to make surveys available in multiple languages. The last survey was only available in English.

The survey also missed many seniors who aren't tapped into city government, senior organizations or the Callahan Center, Hall said. Those who haven't weighed in on how the pandemic has affected them should call the Callahan Center at 508-532-5980, Hall said.

"The more visibility that our efforts get, the more we can bring people in to share what their needs are and their experiences and hopefully then use that information to address those needs and experiences," she said.

Future reports could also break the 55-plus population down into more specific age groups, which often have different needs, Hall said.

Going forward, Hall said, the city should incorporate lessons learned during the pandemic into its senior services even after vaccinations place the virus in the rearview mirror.

"We may be looking for some quick wins that are short term, but there's also going to be kind of a new normal going forward and we need to transition into some long term solutions," Hall said. "This pandemic has brought many systemic issues to the surface, and we need to strengthen our weaknesses going forward in this new norm and build a new way of streamlining and reaching people and dealing with some of these systemic issues."

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