For Northeast Ohio Seniors - A Web Site to Call Their Own

(Cleveland, Ohio) May 1, 2003

"We turn not older with years, but newer every day." - Emily Dickinson
(1830-1886), American poet

The Cleveland Public Library, in partnership with the Community Vision Council, cooperated on the Senior Gateway Web Initiative. The Initiative's result is the web site - seniorsconnect.org - now available to seniors.

The senior audience is substantial. According to U.S. Census figures, about one of every six residents of Cuyahoga County is 65 years old or older, and the Library is well connected to this audience. It has many resources that serve older adults throughout the community, and it interacts daily with older adults through formal computer classes and informal one-on-one computer training.

"The Senior Gateway Web Initiative project focused on older adults in Cuyahoga County," said Craig Clark, Senior Gateway Project Coordinator. "Our goal was to organize information within this new web site that would be important to older adults and to create an online community where older adults can easily explore a variety of subjects."

The Senior Gateway Web Initiative web site includes well-organized links to information important to successful aging, access to reference sources and web-based services, clear and expertly designed pages, interactivity, and much more.

Computer use along with training is a critical part of the success of the new web site. "The Senior Gateway Web Initiative will promote computer use and provide training opportunities for the growing number of older adults accessing the Internet," Clark said.

Clark pointed to a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project that noted "seniors who have Internet access benefit greatly from the resources available online, but the number of older adults over 65 who currently have Internet access is only 15 percent of the total population." But, the study noted, older adults make up the largest segment of new computer users.

Through its support for the Senior Gateway Web Initiative and other programs geared to seniors, the Senior Success Vision Council envisions creating an "aging friendly community where older persons are valued and respected."

Cuyahoga County is fertile territory for such an effort. Of all the counties in the United States outside the Sun Belt area with a population of 1,000,000, or more, Cuyahoga County ranks second in the ratio of 65-and-older persons to the total population. Healthier lifestyles, improved healthcare and lower birth rates have all contributed to a situation where the number of older adults will eventually exceed the number of younger Americans.