A recent publication from engAGED, The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults, features 11 successful social engagement programs from the Innovations Hub that employ a variety of social engagement interventions and tap into an array of partners to reach consumers in rural, suburban and urban communities.

One example comes from Coastline Elderly Services, Inc., an Aging Service Access Point (ASAP) in New Bedford, which runs a AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program
(FGP). More than 40 older adults serve as mentors and tutors for children in schools through Coastline’s FGP service area. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Coastline developed Bridging the Digital Divide to ensure the FGP volunteers could continue to participate in the program virtually and stay engaged with their children as well as one another during the pandemic.

In coordination with Cyber-Seniors, a nonprofit with a mission to connect generations through technology, Bridging the Digital Divide trained FGP participants to carry out their pre-COVID-19 activities in a virtual environment.

More information on the program is available in the report and check out the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative Digital Equity Resource page here.