Seniors in affordable housing have been provided with technology to help them stay connected with their loved ones.
In an effort to avoid social isolation for these older adults, 428 Google Nest Hub Max devices were donated to three communities in the Washington Metropolitan Area – Lake Ridge Fellowship House in Lake Ridge, Hunters Woods Fellowship House in Reston, and Largo Landing Fellowship House in Upper Marlboro, MD.
The technology is allowing them to keep in touch with family and friends through video calls and perform tasks using voice assistant functions.
According to an article that was submitted to What’s Up Prince William, these donations were provided by LeadingAge, an aging services advocacy association based in Washington, D.C., and Volara, a senior living voice assistant technology company based in New York. The goal of these organizations is to provide more of these devices to 9,000 residents of over 300 US and UK senior living communities.
According to the Fellowship Square CEO Christy Zeitz, “Our residents live on a limited fixed income that average $10,000/year. Most do not use a smartphone, and many are overwhelmed by today’s technology.”
Fortunately, Volara has offered Google Nest Hub Max instructions for the seniors as well as training for Fellowship House staff. Additionally, training is being provided for residents, and sessions started at Lake Ridge Fellowship House last week.
Like most modern technology, the Google Nest Hub Max device has touchscreen displays and options for eight different languages. It also has accessibility functions designed for people of different abilities and ages, including a hearing-impaired mode. Volara pre-programmed the devices so that users can access their contacts and place calls by voice commands only, which is helpful to users with limited vision and those who struggle with finger dexterity and mobility issues.
The devices not only connect these residents with their loved ones through communication, but they have a better understanding of modern technology.
This article is written by Contributing Writer Lily Brown.
