In-Home Technology Training Among Socially Isolated Older Adults: Findings From the Tech Allies Program.

Technology has the potential to increase social connectedness among older adults, but one-third do not use the internet. We formed a community partnership, Tech Allies, providing tablets, broadband, and 1:1 training to isolated older adults. In a pragmatic pilot trial, participants were randomized into intervention (n = 44) and waitlist (n = 39) groups. Volunteers provided eight weekly, in-home iPad lessons. Surveys assessed self-reported loneliness, social support, technology use, and confidence at baseline and follow-up. A subgroup completed in-home interviews. The intervention group showed no change in loneliness, marginally significant improvement in social support and technology confidence, and significant increase in technology use. Among the waitlist group, no changes were observed. Interviews showed some participants felt more connected to the world, and many expressed increased technology confidence. Key implementation lessons on program feasibility are discussed. Embedding training within existing community-based programs holds promise as a potentially sustainable mechanism to provide digital training to older adults.

Can the Safety Net be Age-Friendly? How to Address Its Important Role in Caring for Older Adults with Geriatric Conditions.

The safety net, a collection of public hospitals, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), and publicly funded community-based healthcare entities, provides essential care to middle-aged and older adults with geriatric conditions. The role of the safety net for these adults will intensify over the next two decades with the growing numbers of middle-aged and older adults with adverse social determinants of health and premature geriatric conditions. The foundation for addressing their needs is to detect geriatric conditions and then focus care plans on the impact of these factors on function, which predicts mortality and quality of life more than chronic conditions alone. To detect geriatric conditions in safety net populations, the Age-Friendly Health System (AFHS) framework offers an evidence-based focus on the 4Ms: Mentation, Mobility, Medications, and what Matters. Further incorporating geriatric care models that target the 4Ms and are adapted to safety net populations will enable age-friendly care that optimizes health and addresses what matters to older people.