SELFHELP COMMUNITY SERVICES:Virtual Senior Center

Carmella Chessen, Outreach/Volunteer Manager

Selfhelp Mission Selfhelp is a non-sectarian, not-for-profit, 501(c)

(3) organization dedicated to maintaining the independence and dignity of seniors and at-risk populations through a spectrum of housing, home health care and social services and will lead in applying new methods and technologies to address changing needs of its community. Selfhelp will continue to serve as the “last surviving relative” to its historic constituency, victims of Nazi persecution.

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Private-Public Partnership

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Homebound Seniors —Disconnected lives 2,000,000 homebound seniors

and growing exponentially (120,000 in NYC)

1 in 8 Americans is over 65 -(as per 2009)

Shrinking group of friends, family, activities

Concomitant chronic ailments Anxiety, depression,

loneliness, reduced daily activities

Isolation leads to depression, feeling ill

Virtual program ChallengesLimited Funding for

Hardware, Software, Internet

Limited Funding for Facilitators

Locations: Partners, Clients & Facilitators

Facilitators:New York metro areaMichiganCaliforniaFloridaMexicoSpain

Partners located:BaltimoreChicagoIn discussion: Cleveland, Montreal

Clients located: All 5 NY Boroughs Long Island

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Virtual Senior Center:Offers 25-35 interactive classes weekly in many diverse areas from the Arts, Wellness, Sciences, History and more

VSC Client Profile 80% women Average age: 83 200+ homebound seniors

currently in the program Requested to attend 4

classes/week Diverse ethnicities and

educational backgrounds Most never owned a

computer About 20-25% attend our

online computer training classes

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Volunteer Facilitator Rationale: Clients continually

enrolling so more classes needed

Facilitators- all volunteer basis (minimal budget when we have specific grants)

Program eliminates travel time for volunteers

Facilitators choose topics Program is free for seniors

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Quotes from Homebound Clients

Patty: said that she could live without Meals on Wheels (!) but “could not live without the Virtual Senior Center”Carol F: I would have never survived without it. So many wonderful people. Not just the seniors but the ones who lead the classes - where do you find them?Barbara: “ it's kept me mentally alert and also physically.- I rely on it on a daily basis even if I don't go to all the programs- if I'm too weak at least I listen to them - it means a lot to me- I'd be terrified if the program stoppedJohn B: after attending computer class: “good group participation like to see more of this. Understood it- maybe we"re just getting smarter”Doris S: “…..this winter has been a horror for me. The computer is a great help as I am just about homebound.”