TOPEKA — The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) Aging Services Team and GetSetUp, the largest and fastest-growing virtual social learning platform designed specifically for older adults, have partnered to help combat social isolation and offer education for Kansas seniors with specialized classes focusing on Medicare, nutrition, mental health and aging, and abuse, neglect and exploitation. Older Kansans will receive free access to GetSetUp's more than 4,000 live, interactive classes taught by peers 50 years of age and older that are accessible here.

“KDADS is excited to partner with GetSetUp to provide older Kansans free, interactive opportunities to share experiences with peers around the world in a safe and supportive environment,” said Aging Services Director Christina Orton. “Loneliness and social isolation in older adults are serious public health risks that put people at risk for dementia and other serious medical conditions. KDADS recognizes the need for supports that combat this issue, especially for those aging in place. We’ve created customized classes that are hot topics for Kansas’s older adults, and plan to create more over time.”

KDADS is partnering with GetSetUp to provide online educational opportunities for adults 60 years of age and older on how to effectively use their smartphones, laptops, or tablets to access benefits and services, learn a new skill, socialize, and more in a comfortable environment of their choosing. Digital divide starter classes are recommended, including “Getting comfortable with your device – a cell phone, tablet, or laptop,” “Intro to Zoom,” and an orientation to using the GetSetUp site to find other classes. Kansans will have access to classes such as healthy cooking, virtual travel, exercise, safety, and more.

The partnership includes 11 customized classes on topics essential to this population, including:

• Elder Abuse Prevention: An Innovative and Empowering Approach to Combat Stigma
• How Volunteering Can Make You Happier and Healthier
• Let’s Talk About Mental Health and Aging
• Make Heart Healthy Eating an Everyday Practice
• Medicare Fraud: Emerging Trends and Resources
• Medicare Marketing Violations and How to Avoid Them
• Practical Tips to Eat for Brain Health
• Understanding Medicare and SSA Notices
• What Are the Indicators of Financial Abuse
• What You Need to Know About Protecting Your Money
• You Have the Right to Make Decisions About Your Health and Finances

GetSetUp’s custom-built video learning interface has been tailored to older adults of all tech levels. The platform offers support via phone and in classes to assist learners with technology and includes a booking system complete with regular reminders and after-class notes.  Older Kansans can easily connect with a safe community of more than 4.6 million peers globally.

“We hear learner feedback daily about how technology is helping to connect older adults not only to friends and family but also to opportunities to learn and age healthier,” said Lawrence Kosick, President and Co-Founder of GetSetUp. “It's great to partner with Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services to offer services that allow for equity, diversity, and education around key aging topics such as Medicare and Social Security in addition to mental and physical health and well-being classes to assure older adults can live happy, healthy, and more connected lives.”

Access GetSetUp’s more than 4,000 live, interactive classes here: https://www.getsetup.io/partner/kansas