AGE-WELL Partner Responses
AGE-WELL has strong and varied partnerships that support our mission of improving the lives of older Canadians and caregivers through technology. Now our partners in the AgeTech and other sectors are stepping up to respond to the challenges faced by seniors and caregivers during the COVID-19 crisis.
Here is a sampling of what is happening across our partner network:
Helping seniors connect through technology
Best Buy Canada’s mission is to enrich lives through technology – now with a special emphasis on keeping everyone safe. They have converted onsite services at partner senior facilities to virtual workshops and video tech support, accessible from residents’ suites. Best Buy is also helping to deliver and remotely install devices at senior facilities so that residents can safely engage in video calls with family and friends.
COVID-19 Evidence Network to support Decision-making (COVID-END)
To help health- and social-system leaders as they respond to unprecedented challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVID-19 Evidence Network to support Decision-making (COVID-END) has come together rapidly. COVID-END’s near-term priorities are to continuously maintain a guide to COVID-19 evidence sources, to help coordinate and avoid duplication in seven domains, and to develop scalable models for supporting evidence-based decision-making about COVID-19. The secretariat for COVID-END is jointly co-led by the McMaster Health Forum and its partners at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.
Sparking solutions around the globe
Hacking Health has created COVID-19 Sparkboard in response to COVID-19 with the goal of allowing collaborators around the world to form teams and respond to challenges. It is also intended as a repository of solutions. COVID-19 Sparkboard lets you browse events, decide to join a project, or start your own. It also allows those looking for solutions to contact teams and help scale those solutions. https://hacking-health.org/what-is-sparkboard/
Caring for Caregivers: The Caregiver Community Fund
Huddol and Teva Canada have teamed up to create the Caregiver Community Fund. Canadian caregivers will have free access to 1-to-1 virtual support with any of Huddol’s 45 health and wellness ‘Huddol Pros’ for 30 days. Each caregiver will be able to book up to 4 free video sessions in that 30-day period. After the initial free period, video sessions will continue to be offered at discounted rates.
To benefit from the Caregiver Community Fund, use promo code “TevaCares” when prompted during the session booking process. To get started, visit: https://www.huddol.com/tevacares
Helping health-care providers reach patients online
Lumino Health, an innovation from Sun Life, connects Canadians with the health care they need. You can also use it to find health news about COVID-19, mental health and more. Lumino Health has partnered with a secure virtual care platform to help health-care providers see patients online. Sun Life is sponsoring the platform until July 5, 2020. Health-care providers who want to use it can contact them at provider.search@sunlife.com or 1-888-619-8835. In addition, Lumino Health’s search tool is now showing which health-care providers offer online care to better help Canadians find virtual care options.
Curated content includes actionable tips for older adults
The McMaster Optimal Aging Portal is highlighting ways to stay active and engaged while practicing physical distancing. In addition, it is pulling COVID-19 relevant content for professionals from four major databases that feed the Portal. The idea is to complement the information being disseminated by public health and other credible sources. www.mcmasteroptimalaging.org
Morning Star Lodge launches strategy for COVID-19
Morning Star Lodge (MSL) has launched a “Protecting Our Home Fires” strategy to provide valuable information to Indigenous communities and the scientific community. The strategy includes short videos to inform the public. There’s a COVID-19 community-based fact sheet and another aimed at clinicians/academics, developed by the Indigenous Health Lab at Morning Star Lodge. http://www.indigenoushealthlab.com/blog Click here for MSL’s new Vaccine Fact Sheet.
Delivering free ebooks to readers isolating at home
Rakuten Kobo Inc. recently delivered its 10,000,000th free ebooks to readers isolating at home in effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. Its teams have been assembling free and discounted ebooks, audiobooks and great reads for readers of all ages. https://www.kobo.com
STAR Institute compiles practical resources
The STAR Institute at Simon Fraser University has compiled a comprehensive list of practical technology resources to support older adults, their families and caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resources range from simple guides for using technology to products that can help manage everyday life. Read more.
Researchers will find a separate list of resources assembled by the STAR Institute. These include funding opportunities for research projects aimed at developing technology-based solutions for problems related to COVID-19. Read more.
Babylon by TELUS Health virtual care service
Babylon by TELUS Health is a free health-care mobile app that allows you to check symptoms, consult with doctors and access your health records. Virtual consultations with physicians are available for residents of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, in addition to employees covered under BusinessPlus. Residents in these provinces who are covered under MSP, AHCIP, or OHIP can access virtual consultations at no direct cost. Telus.com/Babylon
AGE-WELL partners providing solutions that can support older adults and caregivers during the COVID-19 crisis are encouraged to contact us at: partnerships@agewell-nce.ca