Reciprocal Learning: An Intergenerational Computer Training Model for Young Adults Working with Elders Follow-Up Evaluation: Summer 2006 - Report Series # 15

The goal of this evaluation, conducted in the summer of 2006, was to capture the experiences of young adults who participated as ‘senior tech tutors’ for elders in the computer training program. The training was piloted in the Internet Café at the Sheridan Elder Research Centre (SERC) in the fall of 2005. Twelve young adults participated in the training to become ‘senior tech tutors. An additional three participated in tutoring without having attended the training but were provided with instructional hand-outs. These three tech tutors had prior education and experience in the field of gerontology. Feedback interviews were conducted over the telephone. These interviews took place over an eight-week period. The relationships that tech tutors formed with their ‘student’ elders had an impact on tech tutors’ goals, their views about aging and their career aspirations

Evaluating iPad Use in the Field for Social Service Worker Gerontology Students

Sheridan College offers a Social Service Worker-Gerontology (SSW-G) program that is well respected in the college system. The Sheridan Centre for Elder Research sought to evaluate how providing students with iPads for use during field placement would affect their interactions with older adults and support their learning outcomes. The students were given a thorough orientation to the use of technology with older adults and assigned an iPad for 8 weeks. They were asked to journal their experiences weekly and participate in a follow-up debriefing meeting. The journals described the initial reactions of older adults as they were introduced to new technologies and applications. As the weeks passed, the students became aware of the physical and cognitive challenges some older adults experience when using technology and chronicled the ways they adapted their approaches. Additionally, some students were able to overcome some of the environmental factors that affect the use of other technologies in the field by leveraging the portability and flexibility of the iPads to maintain interest and engagement. Using both the curated set of mobile applications provided to them, and their own discoveries, students were able to use the iPads as a tool to engage older adults in reminiscence, promote social inclusion, overcome physical barriers and therefore promote well-being. This project gave students an opportunity to apply the communication and listening skills they had learned in class to real-life challenges while enhancing the level of care they provided to their clients