This month, Bucknell’s Student Design Group hosted its first annual Design-A-Thon, a week-long competition during which student groups problem-solved for local community groups. We’re excited to announce that the winning group designed a system for Union County Connect to reach isolated older adults here in Central Pennsylvania!
The Design-A-Thon was open to Bucknell students of all majors who independently formed small groups. Each student group was presented with 3 challenges that the local community faces: COVID-19 messaging, food inequity, and older adult isolation. The groups rated the challenges they wanted to work on and were assigned their pick.
A team of three Bucknell seniors took on our challenge for Union County Connect: Jenny Wu, Bill Chen, and Tracy Li. Wu is a senior Education and Computer Science Major. Chen is a senior Computer Science major who is interested in web design and using it to help others. Li is a senior Computer Engineer who is interested in front-end design. This team was faced with our challenge that asked them to consider: “How can we reach the most isolated elders in rural Pennsylvania to provide information and support?”
Wu, Chen, and Li sat down to find inspiration for their solution. For Jenny Wu, it was personal.
“After my grandma retired, her favorite thing to do was to invite us to her house for dinner,” she said. “We told her that we can cook for you now. You don’t have to cook. She said that cooking is all she could do. She was a doctor, but she felt like she was not needed by anyone now. I always want to tell her that of course she is needed. She does not have to cook to prove that she can still make contributions.”
Wu related her grandmother’s experience to her own struggles as a college student.
“There were times when I am not sure about which major I should pick, not knowing what to do after graduation, I wanted to talk to her,” she said, “She is a wise old lady that always has good advice in a warm tone. But I am studying abroad, and she does not use any social media. So, we thought about bridging the technology and generation gap between the young college students and the elders, so they can be there for each other.”
Inspired by Wu’s experience with her grandmother, the solution that the team came up with bridges this gap between isolated seniors and struggling college students. They call the system “Treehole,” based on the legend that people in ancient times could safely express secrets to a hollow in a tree. The system includes an app that college students use to write anonymous messages about how they’re feeling. Then a Treehole volunteer transcribes the messages into handwritten messages or audio messages — by including both written and audio messages, it accommodates those with visual or auditory impairments. The older adults involved in the system would be given a Treehole Mailbox outside of their home where the young adults’ messages would be delivered by a volunteer. Then the older adults can respond to the messages which a volunteer scans or transcribes back to the college students through the Treehole app. The volunteers are a bridge between the seniors and the college students, making sure every message is secure and vetted.
Treehole provides a space for isolated seniors to communicate with others and feel a sense of belonging and purpose. Additionally, the app is a portal for students to unload their stress and worries in the safe space of someone without judgment. Because the communications are anonymous, the older adults might not feel burdened by the students’ worries, as the students’ own families might be.
Treehole is a resource for isolated seniors who crave a sense of purpose and whose wise life advice is needed — and for the young adults who need guidance and someone non-judgemental to talk to.
Congratulations to Jenny Wu, Bill Chen, and Tracy Li for winning the Bucknell Design-A-Thon! Here at Union County Connect, we thank these students for taking the time to problem-solve for isolated older adults in our region. We also thank the student organizers of the Bucknell Design-A-Thon. We look forward to using this concept to create a pilot Treehole system in our region.