BETHESDA, Md. — Senior Planet is a non-profit group helping those 60 years and older learn new skills, save money, and make new friends.
Bre Clark is the Program Manager at Senior Planet in Montomgery County, MD. She said, "We cover a pretty big scope of things.”
The group has been operating in Montgomery County Maryland since 2016 h0sting courses and workshops in libraries and community centers.
“We’re definitely the ones trying to make sure older adults are not left behind. We see that this is you know a bigger issue than just kind of getting lonely we know isolation affects seniors in a really significant way," she aid.
Since the outbreak, Senior Planet has shifted to virtual learning, teaching relevant tech topics like iPad basics, navigating grocery, food and prescription delivery and podcasts.
Clark said, "You know sometimes we forget that it’s a no-brainer for some of us that if we don’t have in person contact that we try to make that happen and so just to demystify it for folks in your life if you have older adults do your best to make it known that this isn’t just them getting with the program this is really a lifeline that can be made available to them."
Clark says one of its most popular class right now is All Things Zoom.
It teaches you how to get on Zoom, how to use it and how to host a meeting. It’s got a dedicated hotline to answer any and all tech questions and, oh yeah, all its courses are free.
“It’s been fun to see how much interest there is to learn these platforms because now it’s like oh, now I’m getting it. Now I see the way I can connect where I couldn’t before,” she said.
Senior planet is geared towards teaching older adults but anyone and everyone is welcome to join, connect and explore.
Clark added, “If we are putting them out there and it’s being made now and then it’s available especially The All Things Zoom calls which I should be careful because they’re capped at 300 people but otherwise yeah, they are open to whomever."
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Text the word "TOGETHER" to (202) 895-5599 to find out more.
