Patty Murtagh

The challenges:

The aging population is at risk for depression as their mobility and cognitive function is declining. Research shows socialization and engagement are important to their health and well-being. However given their physical and cognitive limitations, they are less likely to access and engage in literacy activities and platforms.

Book clubs offer socialization and thought-provoking conversations. Elderly populations provide rich historical accounts to discussions. In fact, Legacies, a former digital design studio project, collects those stories in videos. The older population have so much to offer and they exercise their civic responsibilities in elections, most of which is accomplished through absentee voting processes. After my investigation of senior services in my town,  I found that onsite book clubs are offered at the library once a week, books are mainly historical fiction. Attendance is variable and, in the winter, classes are usually cancelled. At the senior center, there are many activities that offer socialization, exercise, and artistic creativity. The senior center offers technology classes in collaboration with URI research study on using technology; however, they are not taking any more participants. Likewise , the library offers technology classes but according to the librarian, classes are informal and casual, and are usually based on one or two individuals’ needs. These findings validate my concerns that this population of readers and citizens do not have the same access to literature and discussion. Research on the aging population indicates the importance of meaningful engagement and socialization that book clubs offer. The intent of my project is to structure a book club that fosters meaningful engagement and skills that are durable/transferable in different contexts. For example, navigating a zoom call and sharing photographs digitally are the sort of digital tools the elderly might utilize in a telehealth conversation with their doctor or therapists. 

Essential questions:

Open-

1. What are community libraries doing for the older community? 

2. What are agencies doing for this population to keep them engaged and socially connected? 

3. What do the assistive technology agencies offer? 

4. What does a book club need to look like for this population?

Closed-

1. Is there financial support for these services? C

2. What would need to be considered to make digital book clubs work for this population? E-helpers O

3. Does AARP have services for seniors to engage and

navigate technology tools?