When Jenny Donegan, Founder of TechHeroes met Dr. Zimbardo and the opportunity to be a Hero was presented to a small town Indiana girl who had filled her pockets with silicon valley technology savvy, she had no idea how the notion of being a 'HERO' might change her life forever.  Once the idea of being a Hero and the thought that anyone could be a Hero if given the opportunity, had taken root the collaborations began and so did the TECHHEORES Journey.

Realizing, It's Your Story and only You can craft YOUR Hero's Journey, Jenny continued to share her vision of technology inclusion and support for our elders as well as preserving their stories for eternity, that initial vision 10 years ago was the passion and would propel her towards the goal of TechHeroes Bloomington and Bloomington Stories.  Never Give UP.

Jeanne Cremer, resident at Sunrise Senior Living and TechHero!

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Bloomington's online resource for services providing an online platform for the community to research, contact and learn about the resources in our community.

Here’s an overview of the various innovative independent living products for seniors that are on the market today. We’ve gathered a collection of gadgets, from new technology that helps bridge the digital generation gap, to more traditional elder care equipment. (updated for 2020)

With the help of independent living products, as well as medical technology, and some assistance from other people, seniors can retain a certain level of independence.
By increasing independence, and thus dignity, elderly are likely to feel more confident and happy. Which is why these assistive devices make great gifts too.

Fun community building social network for people 50+.  This is what Sylvia has to say about Highway61 which was co-designed and created by her and her daughter Eva. "As a member of Highway61, you should feel empowered to share your opinions, to learn from one another and to support one another. Everything on Highway61 is in real time which I felt was the most important part. There’s a lot of social media platforms out there, but I couldn’t find one where I felt comfortable on nor did I feel like it was created for me and my interests. I also wanted to talk to people throughout the day, not just watch a video or read posts." I call it, "REAL COMMUNITY." -Jenny

Aging with attitude. Senior Planet, powered by OATS (Older Adults Technology Services), harnesses technology to change the way we age. '

Our courses, programs, and activities help seniors learn new skills, save money, get in shape, and make new friends.

Dr. Howard Fillit, founding executive director and chief science officer of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation pointed out that, “One large clinical trial known as the ACTIVE study reported that playing a specific type of brain training game reduced the risk of developing dementia.”The ACTIVE study used a game that Fillit said “trained ‘speed-of-processing,’ which was designed to improve the speed and accuracy of a person’s visual attention.”“You can think of the aging brain like an old computer,” said Fillit. “Speed-of-processing tasks help the aging brain perform more like a new computer by training it to process visual information more quickly.”“And this,” he continued, “may help stem cognitive decline.” https://www.healthline.com/health-news/puzzles-can-help-maintain-brain-health#Keeping-our-brains-healthywww.healthline.com/health-news/puzzles-can-help-maintain-brain-health#Keeping-our-brains-healthy

It's the first product in the Joy For All range, an initiative that Hasbro says is about going beyond play and into areas that combat bigger problems. In this case, it's loneliness.
The robocat is designed to mimic a real animal. It miaows, semi-convincingly, and it purrs, very convincingly. It's fluffy and nice to stroke, although the rigidness of Alan's electronic innards spoils any illusion that he is real.

And research suggests there is a real benefit to providing people with companion robots, particularly if they are suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's.

Everyone loves a photo album and you can easily create a family photo book that you can have printed and delivered to your loved ones.  There are many websites that offer simple solutions.  Here is the latest recommendations https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home-products/g27154713/best-photo-book-maker-websites/www.goodhousekeeping.com/home-products/g27154713/best-photo-book-maker-websites/

How To . . . . Organizing the old photos https://thriftylittlemom.com/2013/09/05/how-to-organize-old-photographs/thriftylittlemom.com/2013/09/05/how-to-organize-old-photographs/

myNoise creates beautiful noises to mask the noises you don’t want to hear : your chatty colleagues, tinnitus, or even your inner voice when you can't shut it down! The concept is simple, works extremely well, and does not require expensive noise-cancelling headphones. Thanks to its unique audio engineering, myNoise sets the standard among background sounds.

myNoise generators cover the whole audible frequency range, from 20Hz to 20kHz, over 10 color-coded sliders. Our calibrated noises are even better: they can be shaped to your personal hearing thresholds!

Participants included individuals attending from home, Bell Trace Senior Center attended as a group and Henry Gray attended from Meadowwood, he enjoyed the session and will be inviting the poetry group to attend.  TechHeroes is available to support sites remotely to identify barriers to access and create solutions for individuals and organizations to cope with the increased demand on the skills of digital literacy, access and equity. 

The recent survey by the City of Bloomington states the following  . . . "The skills gap is pronounced for low-income and older residents:  50% of such respondents think they do not have the skills they need to use the internet effectively and comfortably." TechHeroes Bloomington is committed to continued support of our elders through creative programs that 'Bridge the Digital Divide".

There are many ways to support TechHeroes, read the website, share the mission and vision, like us on FB and Instagram and learn how to be a TechHero and how TechHeroes can help you.

Mission: Bridging the digital divide through compassion, innovation and inspiration.

Vision: Using technology and the valuable asset of youth to support elders and others in our community with barriers to access, increasing their connection to the world.

The TechHeroes program provides the opportunity to collaborate with a variety of partners, clients and institutions to create an effective program that improves the standard of living through supported Internet connectivity, community, communication and learning.

TechHeroes is seeking Board Members to serve 3 hours a month to support planning, development and leadership.
Learn more by visiting www.techheroesbloomington.com or
email jennydonegan@gmail.com

Donegan has served on the Commission on Aging for the City of Bloomington since 2018.  

Donegan founded TechHeroes in 2010 and partnered with the Heroic Imagination Project, headed by Dr. Phil Zimbardo, to launch the 2 year pilot program. visit www.jennydonegan.com to see the pilot project outcomes. TechHeroes is celebrating 10 years of Bridging the Digital Divide, 2010-2020.

As the world spins out of control so did the downloads of thoughts from spirit I am constantly being barraged now by spiritual downloads and finding that all the tapestry, of all the threads of my life are coming into a beautiful service, that I can see, I understand why I did that project when I was in college on AIDS and infectious diseases and I went to the CDC at the State Capitol in Indianapolis to get support to educate my classmates.  

I’m sad to see my wisdom keepers and elders being so vulnerable during this time.  It satisfies my soul in some way that I have learned from my the Elders through the TechHeroes program where my dream continues to be, to have people connect with elders in care homes facilities to create connections.

I am eager to work with the City to create a TechHeroes Program that would become a public service to our community members.  The idea would be each resident would have a bank of 10-20 hours of one-one TechHeroes support, to be of service virtually to the community and connect with our elders in our community to the services and information necessary to live a connected life. I am currently serving my second term on the Commission on Aging for the City of Bloomington, which has emboldened my advocacy and work to bridge the digital divide for elders in our community and beyond.

I am hopeful that some of those early seeds are finding fruit at this time of crisis and need. During the two years I have served the Bell Trace Senior Living Community I have had many rewards and opportunities to bridge the digital divide for our elders.  The highest compliment as a teacher is when I hear, learn or see my students or clients sharing their wisdom and new understanding of technology with another person . . . then I know I have success.