More than 400,000 older adults are living with issues such as vision, hearing, memory, and mobility impairments. CIDE recognizes the need to invest in access to healthcare and the sense of community needed for older persons to achieve maximum independence and quality of life. As a community-based project, SOARR will form strategic partnerships and build strong relationships with statewide agencies to address gaps in technology accessibility, and rely on feedback from community members to create a meaningful impact on older adults across Colorado. Despite recent advances in telehealth delivery, older adults continue to need specialized support. In pursuit of these goals, Supporting Older Adults with Resources and Relationships (SOARR) with Technology aims to activate a statewide network of agencies, service providers, and volunteers to develop accessible technology resources and provide training. The SOARR project addresses the use of technology to achieve maximum independence and quality of life.

• Disseminate disability accessible resources focused on practical answers to common technology pain points experienced by older adults with an emphasis on telehealth services.
• Using a train-the-trainer model, SOARR will provide intensive training and ongoing support to older adults across the state to support their peers with technology use, starting with tech-savvy “technology mentors” who will, in turn, train additional “technology coaches.”
• Form strategic partnerships to achieve statewide impact and to help determine specific, addressable gaps in technology accessibility for older adults.