Projects

In March 2024, SeniorFusion launched a pilot project called, Hear Well, Age Better! The impetus for this project was two-fold: hearing loss among seniors is widespread and largely untreated; and untreated hearing loss can lead to serious health problems such as balance difficulties and falls, social isolation, and cognitive decline.

Funded by Alameda County Health Care Services Agency and The Joseph and Vera Long Foundation, the study provided complimentary FDA-approved over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids or personal sound amplification products to low-income seniors and disabled adults with low to moderate hearing loss. The study measured whether hearing improvement would lead to greater social connectivity with family, friends, and the outside world.

The evaluation found that using over-the-counter hearing devices to improve hearing contributed to improvements in pilot project participants’ social satisfaction, connectivity, and quality of life.  

SeniorFusion partnered with organizational partners including affordable housing communities, health care providers, and senior and disability service providers on this endeavor. The Summary of the pilot may be found here: https://bit.ly/3YZzZEx. For the full report or for other inquiries, please email: info@seniorfusion.org .

The arrival of COVID-19 and the sheltering-in-place mandate created an urgency for technology solutions to decrease the social isolation of vulnerable older adults. According to an AARP survey, lower income seniors are at even greater risk of loneliness, which in turn makes them more susceptible to heart disease, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, and even mortality. 

To address this need, SeniorFusion led a pilot project from November 2022 to December 2023 to help increase social connectivity among 10 underserved seniors “aging in place” or living independently in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.

While many seniors are tech savvy, SeniorFusion targeted low-tech seniors who did not use Zoom, Facebook, Skype, FaceTime, or other social media. We partnered with Portland-based ViewClix (https://viewclix.com/) that connects seniors to family and friends through hands-free video calls and photo streaming without the need for usernames, passwords or even touchscreens!

To request a copy of our "SeniorFusion ViewClix Pilot Project: Evaluation Results" document, please email info@seniorfusion.org. SeniorFusion acknowledges The Joseph and Vera Long Foundation for their financial support of this study.