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‘Real time’ with loved ones
By Molly Giles, Messenger Post Newspapers
Recently, Bob Campbell, 63, played a game of checkers with his dad, Hugh Campbell, 87. No big deal, right? Except that Bob was sitting in his home in Rochester, while Hugh was sitting in the library at Ashton Place Retirement Community in Clifton Springs where he lives with his wife, Jeannette.
Yes, you guessed it—they were connected via the internet—but with a difference. “While we were playing, we could see each other and talk. Dad kept laughing at me because he was winning,” said the younger Campbell, a software developer and president of MarketGenesys in Rochester.
Since last September, Campbell has been conducting a pilot program with Ashton Place to refine his webcam-based software program called Interaction Z for the specific needs of older adults in senior living communities. He said, “I’m indebted to Ashton Place for helping me improve the program specifically for this audience.”
New connections with loved ones
Now, with Interaction Z, Ashton Place residents can interact real time with family or friends who are across the state, country or across the world. With webcams set up on each user’s computer, they can see each other on the monitor, talk, play games, watch slides together, and/or also “attend” a common event (wedding, party, memorial, etc)—all for that important feeling of staying in touch.
“One of the biggest problems for adults in senior communities is isolation,” said Tina Weller, Director of Ashton Place, “which can lead to depression, illness, mental deterioration and more. We were already actively encouraging and training residents to ‘connect’ with the world through the computer, but then Bob came along with his program, and its added feature of connecting ‘real time’ with family. We decided to work together.”
Interaction Z finds its niche
The development of Interaction Z has poignancy for Bob Campbell’s family. Last year, his now deceased brother, Ed, was living at Clifton Springs.
Nursing Home, terminally ill and unable to attend the wedding of his stepdaughter, Mandy. Campbell’s company quickly put together a webcast, working with the hospital IT staff and with the wedding site. Two weeks later, to everyone’s delight, Ed watched Mandy get married.
And so the mission of Interaction Z was born. “I had already created the base software,” said Campbell, “but hadn’t known exactly what to do with it.” After the wedding project, Tina Weller at Ashton Place saw what Campbell had done and said, “Bring it back. I want to show the staff.”
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Bob Campbell and his parents, Hugh and Jeannette, demonstrate how his software program, Interaction Z, lets Ashton Place residents interact with distant relatives by webcam. Note that real time video images of both users appear on the left side of the screen.
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The pilot program grows up
Campbell installed Interaction Z, complete with webcam and microphone, on the Ashton Place library computer, and over the next few months, elicited feedback from residents, staff, and volunteers. “It was clumsy at first,” he said, “with elements that were difficult to navigate.” He modified, simplified, and added features to make it more user friendly. For example, residents wanted easy access to some favorite sites: local attractions, state and national parks, galleries. Now they’re immediately clickable on the menu.
Two residents have installed webcams on their computers in their apartments, and others continue to learn with the help of Ashton Place volunteers. Weller has scheduled a special meeting for residents’ families to explain how they can take advantage of the new technology. “Not only staff and volunteers are involved,” she said. “Local college students come in to help residents with computer skills as part of their field work. Interaction Z has become the center of a real community effort, connecting people in wonderful ways.”
— Reprinted from Messenger Post Newspapers
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