“The training we received from Connected Canadians was an asset for us to refresh ourselves and revisit our strengths. This training […] provided tips to understand an individual’s learning style, barriers and how to accommodate them.”
-Participant testimonial
Like most Canadians, seniors rely on technology to access government services, to stay connected with loved ones, and to find entertainment like movies and art. However, some seniors may need support to learn how to use their digital devices. Family support centres are essential in supporting seniors in their community.
What We Did
To respond to this challenge, we partnered with Connected Canadians, a nonprofit organization that promotes digital literacy skills amongst older adults by providing free technology training and support.
Together, we provided staff at five family support centres across the country with free training that covered digital mentoring skills and best practices on how to most effectively work remotely with seniors. Family support practitioners came out of the training with the tools they needed to help seniors connect with others online and help decrease the social isolation that so many seniors experienced during COVID-19.
How Family Support Centres are Helping Seniors
Some family support practitioners who took the Connected Canadians training created programming to help seniors develop their digital literacy skills in a fun and safe environment. For example, South Winnipeg Family Information Centre started hosting a weekly in-person program that pairs seniors with a family support practitioner to discuss their digital needs. Andrew Fleck Children’s Services in Ottawa used the training to help seniors complete online police record checks required for them to participate in their intergenerational programs. The amazing work of these family support centres helped seniors stay connected with their communities, even amidst a pandemic.
Here are more examples of what the five family support centres were able to accomplish with the Connected Canadians training:
- Created a weekly in-person programming that pairs seniors with a family support practitioner to provide digital literacy support.
- Helped seniors complete online police record checks required for them to volunteer in intergenerational programming.
- Hosted group and individual sessions to teach seniors how to use tablets safely.
- Helped senior volunteers connect with each other through email and WhatsApp.
- Helped seniors use tablets to make donations to the family support centre and complete membership forms.
To hear more about the family support practitioners’ experiences taking the training, and how they implemented what they learned in their centres, check out our webinar recording.
“The training has given our organization new skills to help us support the families we work with better.”
-Participant testimonial
