Dr. John Huth

Virtual Volunteering Through The Elder Wisdom Circle

I've discovered The Elder Wisdom Circle. It was founded as a non-profit in California by Douglas Meckelson and attempts to pair online advice seekers with a nationwide network of volunteer seniors, 60 to 97, who share their know-how and accumulated wisdom.  These circles, composed of volunteers, answer letters of the "Dear Abby" type (letters to newspapers seeking advice for dealing with problems such as custody of children, and their answers are published in some newspapers. I've been in contact with him, and have found that he pushes his circles pretty hard. Meckelson says that so far 250 elders have responded to over 30,000 requests for advice.

I doubt that many nursing residents could keep up the pace that he demands.  However one could read "Dear Abby" letters to residents, hold a discussion of possible answers and then let them in on the actual answer as published.  That in itself might perk them up. 

   

We of course need money, and so I've approached the Mary Washington University concerning a joint proposal covering the acquisition of technology (e.g.-tablets) which should ease access to the Internet for seniors, an evaluation of acceptance and needed modifications, and a long-term study of the impact of such technology on resident quality of life.  The University would provide competence in psychology, Etc. while the home would provide a test-bed.  I would view my role as a kind of "integrater."

If this does't fly, I think I'll just stay home and try to write a brief booklet on the subject.

Art Lessons with TabletPC Are Rewarding to Residents

Since our last BLOG, we are happy to report that we've conducted art lessons with several residents of the Hebrew Home using the Tablet PC. With the tablet, creating art is not messy, and does not require setting up a table, setting aside a particular space, or protecting carpet or clothing from potentially spilled paint. A resident can set the TabletPC on his or her lap and "paint" very creatively. See the remarkable work that Helena Gottlieb did last week.

Art lessons, in almost any form, have been shown to be beneficial for improving the mood of LTC residents.  However, the use of a tablet, which allows erasures, the flexibility of changing colors after the sketch has been done, and instant e-mail and web display of the finished product, seems to be of particular interest to residents.

Don't Know How To Type? You Can Still Send Email

Senior citizens and residents of LTC facilities who do not type can prepare typed documents and email without knowing how to type, using a Tablet PC. The tablet can convert their handwriting to text, as long as it is legible. In the Windows Journal application, once the citizen has scribbled a note, use the lasso command to circle the text...

Then under the "Actions" tab at the top, select either "convert to email" or "convert to text." Voila!

-- posted by Jim Buie