It’s not only people in care homes who have fewer social contacts, but also those living alone at home.
The clubhouse in Hepperdange has noticed that these people tend to fall through the cracks. In nursing homes, people can video chat with their families, but those who live alone at home often do not even have access to the internet.
The clubhouse, which normally organises activities for senior citizens, has thus decided to buy tablets and make them available to the people affected. One of the recipients is Irène Thilmany. She soon mastered the art of handling the device, as our colleagues at RTL Radio found out for themselves during an interview over Skype.
She rejoiced at the fact that she can see her children and grandchildren, and that they can exchange photos of one another. She seems convinced of the benefits that a tablet brings compared to a telephone.
Thilmany stated that she had always been used to looking someone in the eyes while talking to them. This added layer of social communication, she explained, was much more enjoyable and gave her the feeling that she was not alone.
The eight tablets owned by the clubhouse are very popular and have changed users multiple times already – in some cases because their previous owner has now bought their own tablet.
According to Tania Draut, who works in the administration of the clubhouse, those managing the organisation had to decide who could have access to a tablet. Draut explained that while some elderly people were surprisingly tech savvy, others needed help from the staff. However, once word began to spread, the initiative became a runaway success.
The staff deliberately installed only a handful of apps on the tablets at the beginning, in order to make them more user friendly: Skype for videocalls, the RTL app to access national news and listen to RTL Radio, and a weather app.
The elderly users can always ask staff members for help, but most of them also receive plenty of assistance from their children and grandchildren.
Thilmany also stated that now that she was starting to get used to how the tablet worked, she would like to try some of the available games as well. In view of the upcoming winter months, it would be nice to have something to do, she smiled.
In any case, Thilmany said that once she had to return the clubhouse’s tablet, she would get one for herself.
The project was funded by the foundation of the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess.
