Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) from AARP

We’re excited to share our 2024 Annual Tech Review - our most popular report of the year among Senior Planet participants. Senior Planet strives to keep older adults abreast of cutting edge technology. In the review, we cover everything from practical tips on how to film better videos on your smartphone or initiate thoughtful discussion online, to a review of the most fascinating, futuristic tech showcased at the Consumer Electronic Showcase. To read the report and donate to support our work, click here: http://spr.ly/6185YwJCc

Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) from AARP is proud to announce that it is one of the first grantees from Societal Resilience Fund, which was recently launched by Microsoft and OpenAI to further AI education and literacy for voters and vulnerable communities. Funds will help develop a training program focused on educating seniors about foundational aspects of AI through in person and virtual trainings, access to guides, and special programs focused on supporting older Americans as they navigate a fast-changing and AI enhanced world. Read more about this exciting new project: http://spr.ly/6048YKcdO

Peter Kaldes, President and CEO of Next50, a foundation which supports efforts to improve the quality of life for older adults, argues that access to technology is a basic human right, but older adults are being left behind. In a recent article he states that "1 in 4 adults over 65 in the US still don’t use the internet." This lack of access is leaving seniors behind and we’re not doing enough to address it. Read the full article and learn about how Senior Planet is helping in the effort to bridge the gap between seniors and tech: https://lnkd.in/eb5cScjn

OATS is proud to announce that it has been named a 2024 Silver Telly Award winner for the video “Aging with Attitude and Gratitude" about the Senior Planet licensing program! The Telly Awards, founded in 1979, honor excellence and celebrate the best work in television and video across all screens. The winning entry is a 3-minute video, produced by Sebastian Buffa with cinematography by Sam Radutzky, that features Norma (age 71) and Art Menard (age 73), a 47-year married couple that began offering free technology training classes for older adults at their local library thanks to the Senior Planet licensing program. Read more and watch the winning entry: http://spr.ly/61889YBzu

OATS is celebrating 20 years of helping older adults harness the power of technology to thrive in the digital world with the launch of a podcast. The limited-series podcast Aging Rewired explores the intersection of aging and technology, shining a spotlight on how technology can positively influence the way we live and age. Aging Rewired covers a range of topics designed to challenge listeners to think differently about aging; episodes discuss filmmaking at any age, dating and relationships over 65, ageist stereotypes in media images, and more. The podcast is hosted by Sheila Solomon, an older adult and journalist with decades of experience in the newsroom. The podcast will be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on https://lnkd.in/eBCDxr3p. Learn more: http://spr.ly/618796FoR

The Humana Foundation CEO Tiffany Benjamin and staff visited the Senior Planet center in Miami on May 18 for a day of volunteering, and to learn more about how the new center is serving the older adult community! Volunteers led 1-1 tech sessions with Senior Planet participants, sat in on classes and toured the beautiful new facility. The Humana Foundation is a longtime supporter of the work of OATS. Read more about the visit: http://spr.ly/6186egvPM

For 11 years, OATS has attended the American Society on Aging's On Aging conference, the nation’s largest multidisciplinary conference on aging. At this year’s sold-out conference in San Francisco on March 25-28, OATS again sponsored the Age Tech stage and presented 7 workshops and sessions on topics of importance to the aging community. Sessions included Philanthropic Funding and Investing, Digital Equity and Multilingual Programming, End of Life, Tech and Innovation, Building Innovative Partnerships at Scale, Artificial Intelligence and Aging, and Tai Chi for Health and Wellness. We’re grateful to the American Society on Aging for the opportunity to present the work of OATS to our colleagues across the aging space, and to the amazing leaders and thinkers who led our panels. Read more: http://spr.ly/6010epfRA

Thanks to our friends from the Humana Foundation for visiting the Senior Planet center in Miami this week! The team volunteered by providing 1:1 tech sessions to participants and sat in on classes including Is That AI?, Connected to the Internet, Computer Essentials and iPad Basics. It was a joy to have this group join us at the newest Senior Planet center!

We are thrilled to be a part of the just-announced Microsoft and OpenAI $2 million Societal Resilience Fund to further AI education and literacy among voters and vulnerable communities. Senior Planet training programs will be focused on educating older adults on foundational aspects of AI and building resilience against the use of deceptive AI content. “As AI tools become part of everyday life, it is essential that older adults learn more about the risks and opportunities that are emerging. We are pleased to work with Microsoft and OpenAI on this vital project to make sure that older adults 50+ have access to training, information, and support—both to enhance their lives with new technology, and to protect themselves against its misuse.” – Tom Kamber, Executive Director, Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) from AARP. Read more on the Microsoft blog: https://lnkd.in/gMv9yE64

During #OlderAmericansMonth, OATS Executive Director Tom Kamber stopped by the Mile High City to visit the Senior Planet center in Lowry! Pictured with Deirdre Lee, Aaron A. Santis, Dayton Romero, and Michael Schmidt (from left to right).