iPads for Seniors
Tulare County HHSA’s Adult Services Division recently received a grant through the Suicide Prevention Task Force to purchase 93 iPads for local seniors who have been disconnected from loved ones and the community due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to receiving the iPads, the seniors received a prepaid data plan and training on how to use the iPads. Some of them preferred to learn on their own, while others took full advantage of the training, either by Adult Services staff or via Cyber Seniors, a nationally renowned organization that specializes in training older adults in technology.
The iPads have made a tremendous difference in the lives of many seniors by enabling them to connect through FaceTime with family and friends they have not physically seen in over two years.
A testimonial shared by one recipient:
One recipient lost his spouse in March 2021, and he sadly did not have any family locally. This client was very excited to learn about the FaceTime feature on the iPad and asked our Client Advocate, who delivered the iPad, to set it up so that he could call his brother, who lives far away. He was so happy to see his brother over FaceTime, he cried happy tears.
