Giving back

Giving back Kim Sharpe

Virtually lifesaving

Volunteers come to the rescue of isolated older adults

LIFE IS ALL ABOUT connections and interconnectedness. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic forced us to connect in new ways that largely involved technology, which proved challenging for many—especially older adults.

Recognizing this, the City of Fort Collins used CARES Act money to establish its VirtuVisit program to help isolated seniors connect with family and friends.

First, the city put out a call for volunteers to help design and serve participants in the program. Shuah Khan, a 50-something Linux operating system developer with an 80-something mother, was one of the many volunteers who answered the call.

“When the city needed volunteers to help develop the VirtuVisit program during the Covid lockdown, the timing seemed right to help and the work seemed right up my alley,” says Khan. “I have an older mother who’s not tech savvy and who I help with that, and I understand how challenging it can be. Plus, social connection is so important for our health.”

At the height of the lockdown, 36 volunteers helped think through technical issues, like privacy and security, select and deliver tablets for participants to use, and became technology buddies for participants. There was no cost for people to participate and receive training on technology use.

Sue Schafer, City of Fort Collins volunteer services program manager, says, “the City of Fort Collins has a high volunteerism rate. People love our community and want to give back. This was clearly evident through the pandemic as volunteers helped pave the way for new and more creative ways to connect with their neighbors.”

Volunteers like Khan met with people in person at the Fort Collins Senior Center to set up their tablets and teach them how to use the tablets to make calls. “There was a lot of hands-on teaching, like how turn a device on and off, connect to WiFi, and use the camera and audio,” Khan says.

The city no longer supports VirtuVisit because its CARES Act funding is gone and there are no longer staff to support it. “We’re still supporting the folks [originally] in the program, but we are not taking new participants,” explains Schafer. “The need for the program has also diminished since the vaccine roll out.”

Yet Schafer believes VirtuVisit “… made a very positive impact. I’ve heard of long-term friendships being formed through the program. It also proved that the program could be done and provided data around the positive emotional impact it had on participants and volunteers alike.”

Khan says she loved working with the seniors, especially listening to their stories. “Seniors have so much wisdom. They gracefully roll with life’s challenges and make the best of a situation. If I can be like that when I’m older, I’ll be doing great, and we’re all moving in that direction.”