LGBT Elder Initiative will present Keeping Connected, part of the LGBTEI’s Conversations series, 10 a. m. April 13 at the United Way Building, 1709 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. Keeping Connected will focus on how seniors can navigate and use current technologies to communicate and access resources and services. The event, which is free and open to the public, is a collaborative effort among LGBTEI, Philadelphia FIGHT, Center in the Park and Penn’s Village. The session will focus on such devices as smart phones, tablets and computers and will explore how seniors can maximize the benefits of such technologies. “We will be talking about why it is important to stay connected when talking about isolation and depression and why it is important for people to stay connected in the virtual world in a safe way,” said LGBTEI board chair Heshie Zinman. “There are all different reasons to understand how to use a computer and stay connected with friends. The more we can help older adults stay connected, the more we could help folks eliminate their sense of social isolation, which leads to depression and leads to disparate health problems.” The Conversation series has looked at everything from being out in long-term care and developments in the HIV/AIDS field. Zinman said the series, which has been well-received by the community, can be instrumental in empowering LGBT older adults through information. “We got feedback from somebody who had been considering suicide as a solution to their long-term care needs and said the info they received from the workshop really helped reframe the way they were thinking about this,” he said. “Feedback like that is the best, it is gratifying. We are finding that the community is hungry for this information. The folks at the Elder Initiative want to change the paradigm around aging not to be about old aging, but about successful aging at every age.” A light breakfast will be provided at Keeping Connected. For more information, visit www.lgbtei.org or call 267-251-4504.
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