Sarah Jones is a senior in speech and hearing science who launched a social engagement video platform for economically disadvantaged older adults, with mentor guidance from Dr. Raksha Mudar and CJE SeniorLife Senior Director Margaret Danilovich.

 

CJE Senior Life is a senior living facility that provides housing, health care, community services, health and wellness education. Jone’s research project involved studying facilitators and barriers for using video technology platform called OneClick for social engagement for individuals in subsidized housing communities, which directly contributes to social and economic equity issues. Given that social engagement is extremely important for the brain health of older adults, Jone’s research confirmed that the individuals at CJE SeniorLife are eager to utilize video-technology in order to be more socially engaged.

 

Associate Professor of Speech and Hearing Science, Raksha Mudar, further explains: “social engagement through video technologies offers a novel opportunity to socially connect and engage older adults as technology becomes cheaper and more accessible.” Jone’s research activities directly relate to building social and cognitive engagement programs with equitable access to all by understanding the varying needs of older adult populations.

In referring to the larger community, Jone’s concludes: “this experience taught me how the research we do at the University of Illinois allows us to make a direct impact to better the community.”

 

 

 

Learn more about the project by watching Sarah’s research lighting talk.