Redell Gardner of Sacramento checks out the newly installed InfoLine Sacramento computer system at Stanford Settlement Senior Center.      Spectrum photo by Daniel Dullum

InfoLine Sacramento Opens Fourth Senior Information Center

By Daniel Dullum
Spectrum staff writer

Redell Gardner, one of the regulars at the Stanford Settlement Senior Center, was among the first to test drive InfoLine's newest Senior Information Center following its introduction ceremonies March 4.

"I think it's OK," Gardner said after navigating through the InfoLine system located near the billiards table. "What got me interested is, I'm ... no computer whiz or nothing, but they've got games on there. A lot of times, you don't have nobody to play the games with, so you go to the computer. The computer always plays with you.

"But there's a lot of good information on there," he added, "and I would think that people who have the time and knowledge would use it. I use it."

InfoLine Sacramento hopes to see other area seniors do the same. The online resource service provides information and resources for more than 1,600 community programs in Sacramento County, including those which offer low-cost housing, recreation, education and in-home assistance.

Stanford Settlement is the area's fourth site chosen to facilitate InfoLine, the senior information and assistance program for Sacramento County, funded primarily through the federal Older Americans Act, the California Department of Aging and the Area 4 Agency on Aging.

"It's exciting for us in that the seniors can access the information themselves, while our staff can use it too, instead of that big, thick directory," said Sister Jeanne Felion, Stanford Settlement's director. "The most exciting thing is that it gives the seniors the sense of independence and knowing that they can get the information themselves without having to ask."

Previous InfoLine centers were installed at the Cordova Senior Center, the Older Adult Resource Center and the Elk Grove Senior Center.

"We're probably not going to open any more senior ones for a while, but we're looking at some neighborhood information centers for all ages all around the county, including Galt. And we're in the process of identifying a site in North Highlands," said Cherril Peabody of InfoLine Sacramento. "Actually, we'd only planned to establish one new senior center this year, and couldn't decide between Elk Grove and Stanford Settlement, so we decided to do them both."

Peabody, who gave the demonstration of how InfoLine works, is proud that the system is user-friendly for anyone who wants to utilize it, regardless of prior computer experience. She believes the program has increased usage of referral services and information and assistance programs.

"Since there are volunteers here who are trained and know how to help them, that's a big plus," Peabody said. "It's just a very useful adjunct to our telephone information referral service for seniors who might feel more independent or more comfortable accessing the information themselves without having to share personal information."

"I think it's great because seniors or their adult children can access the service immediately to see what's available in the community to them without having to use the telephone," said Laurie Simon, program manager for the Sacramento County Adult and Aging Commission. "Sometimes, [the telephone] becomes an obstacle more than a help."

Barney Donnally, chair of the Sacramento County Adult and Aging Commission, sees the services as a positive step for dispersing necessary information to seniors.

"This is essential because one of my pet peeves is that we have lots of useful information floating around the community, but it doesn't often get into the hands of the people that need to use it," Donnally said. "The organizations exchange their beautiful information among one another, but to get it out in the hands of the people like this, that really need help, has been something we've not been good at doing."

At the Senior Information Center sites, the InfoLine staff provides the data base and training for volunteers so they can help seniors access the program and show them how it works. Twice a month, an InfoLine staff person is assigned to provide ongoing support and perform quarterly updates of the directory.

"We're looking forward to actually having most of our directory information on the Internet soon," Peabody said. "That's going to happen by the end of the year."

The California Department of Aging also provides an auxiliary resource binder with informational materials for exercise activities, coping with personal loss, home buyer programs and nursing home listings.

Peabody noted that at the Elk Grove Center, 100 or more seniors graduate from computer classes every month, underscoring the importance of a program like InfoLine Sacramento.

"I think the use of computers for seniors is growing as more people feel comfortable using computers," Peabody said. "The seniors are the largest growing group of computer users. More and more of them are getting with the program and learning about computers and they're very excited users. So it just makes sense that they will be really interested in this."

InfoLine Sacramento continues to provide telephone information and referral services to callers of all ages from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, at (916) 498-1000.