The Virtual Center – Connecting with a Click
Older adults living in Hod Hasharon participate in social activities through their home computer or television screen. Sitting comfortably in their armchair, they can join a variety of weekly activities with just one click — including different types of movement classes, meditation, Qigong, music, support groups, lectures, storytelling, and many other rotating social activities.
By connecting through their home computer or TV, participants can watch the activities, and with a camera attached to the device, they can actively take part in all the sessions.
The sessions are broadcast from several locations, including Click’s social clubs that operate in the morning hours, as well as volunteers who lead broadcasts specifically for the project participants in the afternoon and evening.
This initiative, called the Virtual Center, is a pioneering and groundbreaking project of the Click Association, which has been working for the benefit of older adults as a pilot since 2015. It was founded by Dr. Linda Mosc, former CEO of Click, and Tali Schatz, a former staff member.
Since 2016, the project has been incorporated into a national initiative addressing loneliness, run by JDC–ESHEL, the National Insurance Institute, and the Ministry of Welfare. From its inception, it has been funded with the support of philanthropic foundations in England and the USA.
The project began in 2015, when the idea was formed to connect homebound older adults to social activities through tablets and laptops provided by the association, thanks to a donation from a philanthropic foundation in England. In practice, many older adults found it difficult to operate these devices independently.
Therefore, in 2017 the association partnered with a startup company named Uniper, which developed a console and software that allows users to receive broadcasts directly on their computer or television screen.
Today, Uniper is a simple, user-friendly system that connects easily to any home television:
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Works with any TV
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Safe and secure
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Full control over sound
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Multilingual
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Easy to use
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Simple microphone control
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No technological experience required
