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FEATURE

seeks out organizations to help reach a Bold Goal of helping com- that was once out of reach.
munities become 20% healthier by 2020 and beyond. In San Anto- OATS and its flagship program, Senior Planet, have taught
nio, these efforts have included the formation of the San Antonio more than 35,000 older adults across the country. In San Antonio,
Health Advisory Board and working with various community part- there has been great success since the program rolled out in Oc-
ners like OATS to impact what’s called “Healthy Days” – a meas- tober. Over 37% of participants reported making three or more
urement used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. friends after just one month of class; seniors reengage in the
Social isolation is one of the factors that can affect this measure. community, interact on social media, and even use dating apps to
What makes Senior Planet unique is the approach. It teaches tech- meet companions.
nology to seniors at their pace with hands-on teaching, and individ- Together, we can pull back the technology curtain separating
ual mentoring. It creates an environment where seniors feel at home some seniors from the modern, digital world. And in doing so will
among their peers who are there for many of the same reasons. Be- help change the way San Antonio ages – while increasing the com-
cause of this senior-centric approach, they absorb knowledge and munity’s “Healthy Days”.
enjoy the process.
Through multi-week, group courses offered in both English and DeAnne C. Cuellar; Texas State Director, Older Adults Technology Serv-
Spanish, senior students choose from a variety of classes, like ices (OATS)/Senior Planet San Antonio and Gloria Rodriguez, Vice Pres-
‘Connecting in the Digital Age’, where they learn to get comfort- ident, South & West Texas, Senior Products, Humana Inc.
able with email, social media, video chat, and other digital tools
that foster connection. Once learned, these skills become a lifeline To find out more about OATS, visit www.oats.org; to find
for older adults, bridging them with family and friends, both old out more about Senior Planet, visit www.seniorplanet.org/
and new. Being connected also enables seniors to shop and bank san-antonio; To learn more about Humana’s Bold Goal efforts
online, to meet virtually with doctors through technology like in San Antonio, visit populationhealth.humana.com.
telemedicine, and to gain access to information and entertainment

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