Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutNews Release - Mail Packet - 12/22/2020 - Information From Darin Atteberry Re: Coloradoan Article Published On December 14, 2020 - Virtuvisit Offers Tech Help, Virtual Lifeline To Fort Collins Most Isolated ResidentsVirtuVisit offers tech help, virtual lifeline to Fort Collins' most isolated residents Erin Udell Fort Collins Coloradoan https://www.coloradoan.com/story/life/2020/12/14/fort-collins-virtuvisit-program-offers-video-chat- help-isolated-residents/6508029002/ Fort Collins residents may be safer at home this winter, but they can still stay connected to friends and loved ones thanks to a special city program. VirtuVisit, which seeks to combat social isolation among Fort Collins residents by teaching them the ins and outs of video calls, is currently looking for participants and volunteers to sign up for the program through the end of this year. The program pairs participants who are isolated in their homes or assisted living facilities, and unfamiliar with technology, with volunteer "tech buddies." December 17, 2020 TO: Mayor & Councilmembers FROM: Darin Atteberry FYI /sek These volunteers help set up participants with video devices and work with them until they're comfortable making calls unassisted, according to a news release about the program. Participants are loaned video devices through the city, and VirtuVisit's volunteers walk them through the steps of using them over the phone. Participants only need Wi-Fi access and a willingness to learn to participate, according to the city. VirtuVisit was conceptualized back in April as an off-shoot of the city's Adopt- a-Neighbor program, which connects volunteers with neighbors in need of help with daily tasks like grocery delivery or driveway shoveling. As more and more people hunkered down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and assisted living facilities were largely closed off to visitors, the idea of VirtuVisit grew into a virtual lifeline for those in isolation. The program, funded with CARES Act dollars, began offering its volunteer tech helper services in October. Since then, it's amassed 19 participants and 22 volunteers, according to Sue Schafer, volunteer services program manager for the city of Fort Collins. So far, it's been used to connect people across Fort Collins — including a 101- year-old participant who's used VirtuVisit to regularly video call her daughter. "The families find it really rewarding to talk more regularly with their family members," Schafer said. "And the volunteers just love it." While the city plans to carry VirtuVisit into 2021, enrollment for the program ends Dec. 31. If you're interested in becoming a participant or volunteer, you can learn more or register at fcgov.com/volunteer/virtuvisit. In vaccine news:Here's how many Pfizer, Moderna vaccines Larimer County will get, and where they'll go Erin Udell reports on news, culture, history and more for the Coloradoan. Contact her at ErinUdell@coloradoan.com. The only way she can keep doing what she does is with your support. If you subscribe, thank you. If not, sign up for a digital subscription to the Coloradoan today.