On April 20, 2021, CITRIS Health and the Lighthouse for Older Adults program hosted the “Lessons from Lighthouse: Operationalizing Technology to Support Older Adults in Affordable Housing Communities” webinar focused on the lessons learned through the development and implementation of the Lighthouse for Older Adults Program.
Dr. David Lindeman, Director of CITRIS Health; Kari Olson, Chief Innovation and Technology Officer for Front Porch and President of the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing (FPCIW); Davis Park, Vice President of the FPCIW; and Trau Vang, Social Services Coordinator of Eskaton Jefferson Manor, discussed the lessons learned through the Lighthouse program’s empathy research phase and Rapid Pilot Deployment, what’s been learned about available technology options, and the planning steps needed to operationalize supports to meet the needs of older adults. They also held a Q&A session to answer questions from attendees about how to leverage the lessons learned to better serve older adults.
For more information about the Lighthouse project visit: Lighthouse for Older Adults
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
David Lindeman, Ph.D., Director of CITRIS Health
Lindeman has worked in the fields of health care and long-term care for nearly 40 years as a health services researcher and gerontologist, conducting research related to health care technology, assistive technologies, chronic disease management, healthy aging, disabilities, dementia, community-based and residential services, health care workforce,and familycaregiving. His current focus is working with researchers, entrepreneurs and investors on the incubation, start-up, evaluation, and scaling of technology-enabled health care solutions, including initiatives that address critical health care challenges through mobile/cloud, sensors/IoT, telehealth, robotics, assistive technologies, and data analytics (AI/machine learning).These technology-enabled solutions cover a continuum of health care issues, ranging from wellness to complex chronic conditions and precision health, with an emphasis on global applications. He serves as an advisor to foundations, government agencies, businesses, and venture firms, and previously served as the founding Director of the Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging; Associate Professor of Health Policy at the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, Rush University Medical Center; and Co-Director of the UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center. Lindeman received his Ph.D. and MSW from the University of California, Berkeley.
Davis Park, Vice President of the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing (FPCIW)
Davis Park has been developing and managing FPCIW’s technology initiatives and programs since 2011. The FPCIW is a center of excellence in Front Porch, a Southern California nonprofit provider of retirement living communities and affordable housing. Davis has over 20 years of program development experience in technology program design, testing, and implementation among older adult, low-income, and other underserved communities to explore and deploy innovations to improve access to digital solutions. He has served as a presenter or facilitator in dozens of regional, national, and international conferences. Davis is the former director of Community Technology Programs at the Little Tokyo Service Center, where he managed several community-based initiatives that focused on bridging the digital divide. Davis is also an inaugural member of the Zero Divide ZFellows, a program developed to facilitate technology adoption and social justice to underserved communities. He has served on several boards and committees dedicated to promoting technology access, adoption, and policy, and holds a BA in anthropology from UC Berkeley and a Masters from UCLA’s Urban Planning Program.
Trau Vang, Social Services Coordinator at Eskaton Jefferson Manor
Trau Vang assists the elderly, especially those who are frail and disabled in affordable housing communities, and connects them to supportive services and other community resources to allow them to maintain their independence and remain in their homes. Vang facilitates programs and services such as health and wellness in the community, has developed a resource directory of local social services agencies and providers, and is an advocate for, counsels and provides social support.
Kari Olson, Chief Innovation and Technology Officer (CIO) of Front Porch & President of the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing (FPCIW)
Kari Olson is the chief innovation and technology officer (CIO) of Front Porch, one of Southern California’s largest not-for-profit providers of senior living communities. She also serves as the president the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing(Front Porch Center), founded on a belief that technology innovation plays an important role in enhancing each individual’s ability to “live life my way.” In her current role as CIO, Olson leads the business innovation strategy for Front Porch and its partners while also leading business and resident technology initiatives. As president of the award-winning Front Porch Center, she explores innovative uses of technology to empower individuals to live well, especially in their later years. Kari speaks nationally about Front Porch’s work in innovation and technology.