My Way Village Brings Social Networking to Senior Citizens via Connected Living

First off, I have to state that fully support any sort of movement to reengage our elders.  With that said, MyWay Village has come to help lead the charge by bringing social networking to senior citizens.  You may be thinking that you don’t want your nanah commenting about her tuna melt she made for lunch on your Facebook wall.  Relax.  MyWay Village isn’t equipping our gray haired friends with Twitter, Linked In or Facebook accounts.  They have been created Connected Living.

Connected Living, launched a few months ago in Chicago and Boston, has seen a quick adoption rate among residents at select senior communities; boasting an adoption rate of 66%.  The application gives the users a customized home page that gives them the freedom to choose from any number of activities:  sharing and viewing photos, sending/receiving electronic messages, listening to music and audio books, recording their own memoirs and getting updates from their facility.

To those of us that are younger, this may appear to be nothing more than another illustration an out-of-touch group playing catch-up on technology; akin to the first time your parents or grandparents purchased a VCR.  Social networking for seniors is something all together different.  Products like Connected Living enables seniors, who are notoriously analogue, to communicate in new ways.  Think about that for a second.  Imagine the joy your grandfather or mom would feel if they were introduced to a communication tool that helped give them a louder, more creative and more up-to-date voice in a society that is notorious for silencing seniors.  Better late then never!  We love MyWay Village’s mission statement:

To enhance the lives of seniors by empowering them to connect with family, friends and community.

We look forward to more progressions in social media like this.  Seniors have a wealth of wisdom to share with us and amongst themselves.  We’ll definitely be on the lookout for Connected Living at my grandmother’s assisted living facility.