i3 - May/June 2020 - 42

Business

By Steve Ewell

CT R E P O RTS

ince its launch in 2012, the CTA
Foundation has worked to improve
the lives of older adults and people
with disabilities through the use of technology.
A large portion of that work has been addressing loneliness and social isolation. These communities face higher rates of isolation already
and deal with health outcomes that have been
compared to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. In
the era of COVID-19, when people of all ages
are practicing social distancing, we have lessons to share to help meet the need of people
of all ages and abilities.

Staying Connected

Whether using Zoom, Teams,
Hangouts, Skype or other
telepresence technologies for
calls and meetings, the power
that a video chat provides
when you don't see others
throughout the day is significant. Organizations such as
our grantee, the Jewish
Healthcare Foundation, are
putting this into practice
with their Virtual Senior
Academy. Another example
of our grantees addressing
this need is the AARP
Foundation's connect2affect
program, which has developed virtual assistant skills
that address social isolation
in low-income senior housing
communities.
Whether communicating
on phones, tablets, computers, or telepresence robotics,
the power of technology to
connect us makes a real
difference when we can't
be together.

Staying Healthy

SUPPORT THE CTA FOUNDATION
● Be recognized by the CTA
Foundation at CES and events
during the year.
● Be highlighted on the CTA
Foundation website.
● Engage in discussions at CES and
other events.
● Participate in special research or
service projects.
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i3_0520_Business_CTReports_CTAF.indd 42

● Gain access to staff subject matter
experts.
● Ensure your resources make a true
difference to communities in need.
FOLLOW us on Twitter
@CTAFoundation, Facebook
and LinkedIn. Visit
CTAFoundation.tech

Technology can also play a
role in helping people stay
healthy. CTA offers several
digital health resources that
address COVID-19.
Alphabet's Verily created the
Baseline COVID-19 testing
program. And many telehealth and telewellness programs are helping tackle
health concerns while people
are in remote locations.
CTA Foundation grantee
BridgingApps has been assisting people of all ages and abilities identify the apps that can
help to improve their daily
lives. They continue to build
out telehealth content while
also focusing on the needs of

people with disabilities in the
greater Houston area.
Another grantee, Older
Adults Technology Services
(OATS), has partnered with
Lyft to provide seniors in NY
with trip credits to take them
to retail locations during
senior-only hours for groceries and other essentials.
OATS has also created a
resource page on its Senior
Planet website for classes,
activities and information.

Join Us

These are just a few examples of how technology can
address social isolation based
on the work of our grantees.
To see the full list of our
grantees and the work
they are doing, visit
CTAFoundation.tech/grants.
However, many of the
organizations serving seniors
and people with disabilities
are struggling as they meet
the needs of these communities during the pandemic.
Both staff and budgets are
straining under the increased
demands. The CTA
Foundation is actively working with our partners to help
address their needs, but there
is far more to do.
Please consider joining us by
donating at SupportCTAF.org.
We will direct your contributions to where it can make
a real difference in communities. If you have excess hardware that can help people
stay connected, please
contact me at sewell@
CTAFoundation.tech or
(703) 907-7660 and we can
arrange for it to be donated
to groups in need. Thank you
for your support!

Geber86/Getty Images

Addressing
Isolation for All

I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

5/7/20 12:29 PM

http://CTAFoundation.tech/grants http://SupportCTAF.org http://www.twitter.com/CTAFoundation https://www.facebook.com/CTAFound https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/consumer-technology-association-foundation http://CTAFoundation.tech

i3 - May/June 2020

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