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Donor Opens New Worlds for Seniors at Sarah Neuman Center

A new wave of tech savvy elders.
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Donor Opens New Worlds for Seniors at Sarah Neuman Center
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Donor Opens New Worlds for Seniors at Sarah Neuman Center

Rita Hochberg Computer Connection Program Gets Seniors Online

When Mae Maiuzzo was born at the turn of the 20th century, it was before the widespread use of telephones and television.  Yet this 91-year-old Sarah Neuman resident now uses email to stay in touch with her grandchildren, thanks to a gift from Jonathan Hochberg of Rye Brook, a Jewish Home Lifecare trustee.

Hochberg established the Rita Hochberg Computer Connection Program in memory of his mother.  The fund provides for computers and computer training on an ongoing basis for residents at the 300-bed Sarah Neuman nursing home and rehabilitation center in Mamaroneck.

Because many elders face cognitive hurdles, including impaired memory, problem-solving skills and the ability to process new information quickly, the Hochberg Computer Connection Program recognizes the need for guidance to help elders make the best use of technology. 

“I couldn’t do this without the help of my teacher, Brenda Bloom,” said Ms. Maiuzzo.

 In addition to doing computer training part-time, Ms Bloom has a master’s degree in social work, a skill she has found useful with the nursing home residents.

 
“I do a little social work while I’m at work with the computer training,” said Ms Bloom, explaining that she may sometimes intervene in family squabbles, helping residents see how to resolve their issues by communicating openly with long-lost friends and family. 

 
The Program is a big hit with residents.  Ms. Maiuzzo said the computer has enabled her to “meet” her grandson’s fiancée, communicate with a distant cousin and even accept an invitation to a nearby baby shower. 

“I love it because I never did anything like it in my life and never dreamed I would.  I didn’t even know what a computer was and never even used a typewriter, and here I am at my age sending emails halfway across the country and receiving pictures of newborn grandchildren and great grandchildren.  It’s wonderful.”

Rita Spector, 88, a former Scarsdale resident who taught shorthand, typing and business-related subjects at Berkeley College, is also learning to use the computer. Since her retirement, a stroke has left her with limited use in one hand and an inability to care for herself or to move about without the aid of a wheelchair.  With enough dexterity in her right hand and past experience with a keyboard, Ms. Spector now communicates weekly by computer with a cousin in Malibu, California, a grandson in Brooklyn and a granddaughter in Washington, DC. 

“Brenda has taught me how to use spell check so my emails to my grandson, a Wall Street Journal reporter, are up to par,” Ms. Spector said with an impish grin.  “Brenda’s also shown me how to go online to read my grandson’s front page articles.”

Technology use among elderly Americans is low relative to the rest of the population. But according to a study by the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C., social media use among seniors 74-years-old and older has quadrupled in the past two years.

 Now thanks to the generous and thoughtful gift from Jonathan Hochberg, seniors at the Sarah Neuman Center are able to join the new wave of tech savvy elders.