CRISIS BRINGS CONNECTION Virtual Programming for Older Adults AMANDA LENSING Senior Living Communities Program Coordinator, University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art Co-Director, Connected for Life: Object-based Digital Programming to Foster Active Minds for Senior Living Communities Crisis Brings Connection – Connected for Life | Digital GLAM Spaces Conferences Stanley Museum of Art UNIVERSITY OF IOWA Iowa City, Iowa Crisis Brings Connection – Connected for Life | Digital GLAM Spaces Conferences PURPOSE: To improve a person's sense of happiness and social connection through creative engagement, and to reduce isolation and depression among older adults. GOAL: To create programs that can be shared with participants of ALL interests and ALL ability levels. Senior Living Communities (SLC) Program stanleymuseum.uiowa.edu/education/older-adults Crisis Brings Connection – Connected for Life | Digital GLAM Spaces Conferences 2018-19 | Pre-COVID-19: 18 monthly presentations  25 locations and a waiting list 4 counties 160 presentations 2,232 participants 10-20 participants in programs 45-60 minutes program length FREE for all to attend and participate SLC Program – By the Numbers Crisis Brings Connection – Connected for Life | Digital GLAM Spaces Conferences Museum From Home Emails Supply Boxes to Local SLC Livestream Virtual Programs with Closed Captioning Funding and Education on Ageism SLC Program – March-September 2020 stanleymuseum.uiowa.edu/education/older-adults/slc-museum-from-home-emails Crisis Brings Connection – Connected for Life | Digital GLAM Spaces Conferences Institute of Museum and Library Services CARES Act Grant Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Grant is to support the role of museums and libraries in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Crisis Brings Connection – Connected for Life | Digital GLAM Spaces Conferences Object-based Digital Programming to Foster Active Minds for SLC Serve older adults and SLC in Iowa, populations especially vulnerable to COVID-19 and underserved in outreach and engagement programs;  Increase participants’ sense of connection, engagement, and well-being and decrease feelings of isolation through synchronous virtual programs;  Create a robust and vibrant web portal that responsively adjusts to audience needs based on assessment data; and  Develop a meaningful channel for coordinated programming among the four world-class collecting units on campus. By combining our efforts, we will develop meaningful connections across diverse collections, and bolster our ability to deliver high impact content to the broader Iowa community. Connected for Life – Goals Crisis Brings Connection – Connected for Life | Digital GLAM Spaces Conferences FUNDING: September 2020-September 2022 October 2020: Needs assessment with SLC and older adult groups Program Brainstorm Pilot Programs (October-December 2020) with CART captions November-December 2020: Baseline and Formative Assessment with the University of Iowa School of Social Work – IRB approved in August 2021 January 2021: First program – January 13 Website live – lifelonglearning@lib.uiowa.edu Connected for Life – Timeline Crisis Brings Connection – Connected for Life | Digital GLAM Spaces Conferences A stable internet connection for participating in a live program on Zoom. A central large screen/projection or individual screens connected to the internet for participants to watch. A web cam and a microphone so that we can hear and see participants through Zoom. Speakers are helpful so that participants can more clearly hear us. This will help us and the participants with engagement. If you have questions about equipment, please let us know. FOR LARGE GROUP PROGRAMS: Microphones should not be muted, and camera(s) should be facing residents so that we can see their faces. This helps with engagement since they will be seeing us as well. A SLC staff member must stay in the room during programming to help with set-up and questions during the program. It is often difficult for us to hear participants who are sharing one microphone or see raised hands from participants who are sharing one camera, so we rely on staff to help us with engagement. Connected for Life – Requirements Crisis Brings Connection – Connected for Life | Digital GLAM Spaces Conferences Livestream and Pre-recorded Collaborative and Individual Unit 30 and 60-minute Discussions, Lectures, and Gallery Tours by theme: Agriculture Exploration Flora and Fauna Identity Fashion Connected for Life – Programs Crisis Brings Connection – Connected for Life | Digital GLAM Spaces Conferences Connected for Life – Technology and Accessibility lifelonglearning@lib.uiowa.edu Crisis Brings Connection – Connected for Life | Digital GLAM Spaces Conferences Equipment Think Link software Laptops Microphones Light Rings Tabletop document camera Camera for image capture Tech Boxes Connected for Life – Technology and Accessibility Crisis Brings Connection – Connected for Life | Digital GLAM Spaces Conferences 6-11 monthly presentations  54 programs scheduled (January-December 2021) 3 counties 347 participants 5-15 participants in programs 45-60 minutes program length FREE for all to attend and participate Connected for Life – By the Numbers This project was made possible in part by AMANDA LENSING EMAIL ui-connectedforlife@uiowa.edu WEB lifelonglearning.lib.uiowa.edu image1.png image5.png image2.png image3.png image6.tiff image7.png image8.jpg image9.jpeg image10.jpeg image11.jpg image12.jpg image13.jpg image14.png image15.svg image16.jpeg image17.png image18.png image19.png image20.png image21.jpg image22.png image23.png image24.png image25.jpg image26.png image4.png