Given COVID-19, most medical practices have switched to
a telehealth model where doctors connect with patients via video chat.
Unfortunately, many elderly, low-income patients lack the camera-enabled
devices necessary to attend these appointments. To help solve this problem, Telehalth Access for Seniors was formed to collect old smartphones, tablets, and laptops for elderly patients so
they can receive care for chronic conditions while avoiding the risk of
infection. The non-profit also provides remote tech support and easy-to-use guides for how
to set up devices, FaceTime, and various telehealth apps. We currently have a
volunteer network of about 125 students across the country and have donated
750+ devices to 50 clinics.
Volunteers would coordinate with their state team to spread the
word and seek device donations through social media, service organizations,
news outlets, etc. Additionally, volunteers would help collect, reset, and
sanitize the devices at their homes before sending them to their local clinic
or VA. If students are interested in joining, contact the volunteer coordinator Abe at abe.baker-butler@telehealthforseniors.org and
mention that they found out about the program through this blog post. For additional questions about the opportunity, contact Lia Rubel at lia.rose.rubel@emory.edu.