Illinois School of Social Work Tech Series

Amazon Echos & Animatronic Pets: Tools to Decrease Social Isolation in Older Adults and Support for Caregivers

November 22, 2024
12:00-1:00pm CST
1.0 CEU for LCSW/LSW And LCPC/LPC
$10 for CEs, free for no CEs

Join local expert Laura Gallagher Watkin as she shares CRIS Health Aging’s innovative use of technology to combat social isolation, enhance digital literacy, and improve physical safety for older adults and support their caregiver’s lives as well. Laura will introduce specific tools used in CRIS interventions, including Amazon Echos, animatronic pets, and motion detection sensors. This session will cover key topics such as the effectiveness of these tools, decision-making in their implementation, funding sources, research collaborations, ethical considerations, and client experiences. Earn CEUs while exploring how these technologies are shaping the future of social work with aging populations.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the Role of Technology in Supporting Older Adults and Caregivers
2. Evaluate the Effectiveness and Ethical Implications of Technological Interventions
3. Explore Collaborative Partnerships for Implementing Technology in Aging Care

Registration Options:

If you do NOT need CEUs for LCSW/LSW or LCPC/LPC, register via the link below:

NON-CEU REGISTRATION

If you DO need CEUs for LCSW/LSW or LCPC/LPC, register via the link below:

CEU REGISTRATION

After obtaining her law degree, Laura Gallagher Watkin focused her career on administrative advocacy for low-income families and persons with disabilities, assisting with Medicaid and Social Security applications and appeals. She moved Springfield and the Division of Rehabilitation Services to create the first Benefits Planning program in Illinois to assist persons with disabilities who received social security benefits, plan to return to work, and understand the provisions that could assist them with maintaining State and Federal benefits. She conducted training for sixteen states on how they could create programs similar to this as part of her role at a Chicago-based nonprofit called Health & Disability Advocates. When Illinois began welcoming home the largest deployment of military service members since World War II as part of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan she switched her focus to Veterans. She created a Veteran program that focused on the needs of the National Guard and Reservists who did not have the connection to traditional social and health services which was present for military families who live on a base. She created programs to assist with the mental health needs for these families including creating a training for civilian mental health providers around Military Sexual Trauma, a peer-based ‘Warrior to Warrior’ program which trained Veterans and attached them to Guard units as a resource, and assistance for military children. After moving to Champaign, she accepted a position at CRIS Healthy Aging to create innovative programs for family caregivers of older adults including people with dementia and programs to reduce social isolation.

MORE TECH SERIES SESSIONS TO COME