POTTER COUNTY EDUCATION COUNCIL AND TRI-CO CONNECTIONS CONTINUE PARTNERSHIP FOR SENIORS 2 SENIORS PROGRAM
The Potter County Education Council, Tri-Co Connections, the Potter County Human Services Area Agency on Aging, the Seneca Highlands CTC and our local school districts are continuing to team up to implement a county-wide program called Seniors 2 Seniors. This program is teaching basic computer skills, digital literacy, and cybersecurity to senior citizens so that they have the knowledge to utilize the many benefits of the high-speed Internet which include:
• Staying connected to friends and family
• Utilizing telemedicine (healthcare from home)
• Accessing numerous government on-line tools
• Using on-line banking
• Working from home for a company
• Shopping from home (for items not available in the local area)
• Improving eye-hand coordination (strategy-based) video games
As a part of this program, the Potter County Education Council, Tri-Co Connections and the Area Agency on Aging have local high school students volunteering to provide on-site support to each of the adults who participates in the course. The area high school students are a logical resource to support the senior citizens as they learn about the Internet since this generation of students has grown up with technology as a part of their daily lives. They are a true “tech-savvy” population and can provide valuable support to older adults who are learning to navigate and use new technological skills and information.
The Seniors 2 Seniors technology course is being offered at each of the four senior centers in Potter County on an eight-week rotating schedule, meeting on Wednesdays from 12:45 – 1:45 PM (following the school districts’ calendars), throughout the 2019-2020 school year. The first Seniors 2 Seniors course is currently running at the Shinglehouse Senior Center through Wednesday, November 20th. The course will also run at the Coudersport Senior Center (December 4th – February 5th), the Ulysses Senior Center (February 12th – April 1st) and then at the Galeton Senior Center (April 8th – May 27th).