In November 2023, Embrace Living Communities (ELC) was given a $10,000 grant from the DuPage Foundation’s Community Needs Grant Program to use toward technology education and devices for their residents. This grant was a donation from the Beth and Daniel Maguire Family Fund, Pane e Pesci Fund and an anonymous donor-advised fund of DuPage Foundation.
ELC was able to increase resident technological literacy and residents’ ability to connect virtually at their four communities in DuPage County, IL. This work will continue next year as ELC has just been awarded an additional $10,000 from the DuPage Foundation, with support from the Pane e Pesci Fund and Sindelar Family Fund, for 2025.
According to evidence-based assessments conducted by ELC, approximately 27% of their DuPage residents reported they were at risk of social isolation and loneliness. In addition, access to in-person medical care has in many cases been replaced with telehealth appointments, a tough switch for residents with limited connectivity.
Funding from the DuPage Foundation supported technology education and access to communal devices for approximately 300 residents, or 54% of the older adult population living at ELC’s four communities in DuPage County. Age-friendly technology training and in-home tech assistance helped residents who may otherwise have been intimidated by learning new skills and using unfamiliar technology. Technology education also had to be culturally and linguistically appropriate for the diverse population ELC serves.
Education was provided on tablets, desktop and laptop computers, printers, cellphones, smart TVs, Bluetooth, email, and social media. Internet safety education was also interwoven into each session to remind residents that scams may come through text messages, phone calls, emails and even social media as click bait.
One of the most significant benefits of technology for seniors is the ability to communicate and socialize virtually as many are separated from their friends and family due to physical distance or mobility limitations. ELC has implemented programs to help seniors bridge this gap.
Elena has lived at ELC’s Castle Towers community for 13 years and was able to reconnect with lost family thanks to learning how to use the computer.
Elena’s son mentioned an article about ELC she might be interested in, but she didn’t know how to access their website to read it. She approached her community’s social service coordinator for help on the computer and was directed toward a technology class in their community room. After the class, she was able to read the article. It was about a man named John, who happened to be her brother. He also happened to live at ELC’s Immanuel Residences community in the same state. The siblings had lost contact with each other more than 33 years prior.
Elena worked with her social service coordinator to contact the coordinator at Immanuel Residences, and soon the two were using their phones to communicate, later followed by an in-person meeting with their extended families. They continue to do video chats to this day to reestablish their connection.
Boris is a resident who lives at Greencastle of Elmhurst and learned to use video chats to communicate with family in his home country of Russia. He also learned how to access Russian newspapers and enlarge the font to accommodate his impaired vision, as well as access video channels to stream Russian news.
Bert, a resident at Peace Memorial Manor learned how to use music equipment thanks to technology support funded by the DuPage Foundation. Bert now acts as the community DJ because he can use his sound board, his speakers and the internet effectively to play music and bring his neighbors together at community events.
The Dupage Foundation technology grant is just one of many ELC has received to fund programs to help seniors. If you’re interested in supporting resident well-being through a grant or gift, visit https://embraceliving.org/fund-us/
The DuPage Foundation was established in 1986 to support local nonprofits concerned with raising the quality of life in the area. To learn more about the DuPage Foundation, visit: https://dupagefoundation.org/
Feel free to contact us for any future resident, current resident, or general inquiries.
