About

Highgate has been approached by a charity called Connectforce, which a Highgate parent is helping to run, which provides tablet computers to care homes so that residents can stay in touch with their loved ones more easily during the COVID-19 crisis. Many care home residents are cut off from their families and loved ones as they cannot receive visits. Many don't have access to a device which would enable them to see their families on a video call.

Briefly, Connectforce provides tablets to share between care home residents who might otherwise be relying on using their carers' own devices - or indeed might be unable to connect with their families at all.

Connectforce provides the tablets charged up and ready to go, and they also provide a full package alongside the device to make it easy for care home staff to use them:

• An introduction to Connectforce and clear instructions for the tablet

• Guidance on how to use the tablet for residents, care givers and family members (electronically)

• A tablet which will be fully charged prior to its donation and will have a baseline level of apps set up ready to use

• A framework to link in family members electronically, with a calendar to book calls and to lay out the schedule for the day

• Hygiene wipes and a best practice policy. This is especially important as the tablets will be shared

• Contact numbers for support

Connectforce are working with schools to double donations, i.e. for every tablet that Highgate School can fund through donations, Connectforce will donate one too.

A tablet costs £80, so in order to provide 3 tablets for each of the care homes local to Highgate, we are looking to raise £360, which will be doubled by Connectforce. Any additional funds raised will help provide tablets for more care homes.

More information is on the Connectforce website here: https://www.connectforce.community/what-we-do

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