AnnArbor.com to do presentations at senior centers, give away computers
One of the 10 used desktop computers that AnnArbor.com is donating to area senior centers and assisted living facilities.
Stefanie Murray | AnnArbor.com
We of course feel an extra responsibility to help the citizens of Washtenaw County learn how to do this - especially the older members of our community.
Over the next few months, we'll be reaching out to groups of older residents in our county to help them learn how to use a computer to find news and information. We held a handful of such training sessions at Washtenaw Community College and the Ann Arbor District Library in 2009.
Going forward, we'll travel to area senior centers and assisted living centers and provide training on how to use computers to access information, with a special emphasis on using AnnArbor.com.
In conjunction with these presentations, AnnArbor.com is giving away 10 used desktop computers to area senior centers and assisted living facilities, in recognition of the fact that not everyone has a computer, or ready access to a computer.
We also plan to bring groups into our first floor community space at AnnArbor.com to show folks how to use the Internet to find news. At these events, we'll provide more question and answer time so people can talk with some of our staff members.
If you are interested in having AnnArbor.com visit your senior center, or if you are interested in bringing a group to our offices, contact me at 734-623-2570 or community@annarbor.com.
Stefanie Murray is the Community Director for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at stefaniemurray@annarbor.com.
Comments
blueeyedpupil
Sun, Jan 10, 2010 : 9:23 p.m.
The perfect location for these used computers would be at senior citizen apartment buildings. Especially low income locations. Thats where there is serious lack of computers and knowlege on how to use one. Otherwise people have to go to the library and use the computers there. I think here in my building of 150 apartments less than ten people have computers and very few know how to use them. But they could learn and having community access to one community computer here in the building would be fabulous for the elderly and handicapped who may not be able to get to the library or are intimidated about not knowing how to use a computer.
Cash
Sun, Jan 10, 2010 : 7:17 p.m.
This is a nice service. The real problem, however, comes for people who are home bound due to age or infirmities. When the paper was delivered, they could read it. Now without computer access they are without any news, except the Detroit media on tv. If they could get out to a senior center or a library, they wouldn't have the problem in the first place! Now to Macabre.... Don't be so quick to dismiss older people. Someday if you are lucky, you might become an older person too.
Macabre Sunset
Sun, Jan 10, 2010 : 4:30 p.m.
I am sure they will make lovely paperweights for the elderly.
Matt Hampel
Sun, Jan 10, 2010 : 10:07 a.m.
This is a really cool idea, but I'm wondering how ongoing support will work. Those are Windows machines (or at least have Windows license stickers on the top) -- do the centers have someone they can call when the viruses & spyware come, or hardware fails, etc.? I'd also love to see some reporting on local connectivity. You're in a unique position to see across a couple different groups who has access to IT resources and who doesn't, the effects of that difference, and what we can do about it.