Lenovo donates tablets to connect seniors with loved ones

The Lenovo Foundation donated 100 tablets to long-term care facilities across the country, and now residents are able to video chat with loved ones over the holidays.

"We didn’t get to see each other very often, so we relied on phones to be able to stay in touch," said Lea Waring, whose mom lives in a long-term care facility in Raleigh.

Waring says they've been able to regularly video chat now that her mom has access to a tablet.

"Oh, it’s so much different," Waring said. "We’re a very close family, and we just light up when we see each other."

Waring’s mom will even call into a virtual Christmas Eve service – the same one her family will be watching. It’ll give a sense of connection and togetherness in a time when advocates say seniors lack both.

"The COVID-19 pandemic for residents is two fold," said Laura Zingraff, executive director of Friends Of Residents in Long Term Care, a group that advocates for seniors and their families.

"You either unfortunately get sick and pass away from the physical virus, or you are impacted and get sick emotionally, mentally and spiritually."

Zingraff reached out to Lenovo to ask for help after realizing that there was a technology gap in most senior care facilities. A lot of times, Zingraff says, staff members used their personal phones so residents could video chat with loved ones.

"There is a technology gap in residential long-term care here in North Carolina," Zingraff explained. "So while some facilities have enough, there are other facilities where there isn’t enough, and it absolutely has been the kindness of the staff using their own tablets."

Zingraff calls Lenovo’s donation a holiday miracle.

For many families, it’ll mean they can spend Christmas together, virtually.

"It really makes [mom] feel better," Waring said. "Just the first sight of each other, she just brightens up and smiles."