By Cathy Green
Many television sets across the nation will go dark next February unless their owners do something about it.
What should you do?
Maybe nothing. If you have a new TV with a digital tuner, or if you subscribe to cable, satellite or other TV telecommunications service, the change will not affect you. However, if you don’t have such service, or have a spare set that isn’t connected to cable, you’ll have to do something; or else, consign that TV to a landfill.
Your choices:
- Sign up with a cable or satellite service provider;
- Buy a new TV with a digital tuner (every TV set sold after May 25, 2007, must have such a tuner; if it doesn’t, the retailer must inform the customer of that fact, says the Federal Communications Commission); or
- Buy a digital converter box.
The federal government has issued $40 coupons toward purchase of these boxes, which cost about $50 and up at stores where TVs are sold. To apply for the coupons, you may go to www.dtv2009.gov or call a 24-hour hotline at 888-DTV-2009. The website also tells you where in your neighborhood you can buy a box.
When the box is attached to your TV set, it will still receive broadcasts after the February switchover. You don’t have to wait until next year to do this; in fact, Consumer Reports suggests acting soon, so you can work out any problems that might come up.
You may have seen some programs explaining how simple this is, and how once you’ve made the switch, the reception has improved on your old set. But sometimes the picture or sound may break up; moving the receiving antenna unit to a different location, especially near a window, may improve reception, Consumer Reports suggests. If possible, a rooftop antenna is best.
Some TVs don’t conform to the description in the directions on connecting the box. An 11-year-old Zenith, for example, did not have audio and video jacks for which the box provided cables. But a cheerful support technician, consulted by telephone, worked around that problem.
You needn’t be on your own in coping with the change. The Mayor’s Commission on Technology (MCOT) and WHYY have joined in “Philadelphia Responds: City Council Leads the Way.” Training workshops are being held in each Council district for staff members of organizations that serve “vulnerable” populations. That means seniors, as well as people with disabilities, and non-English-speaking and low-income people, says Carole I. Smith, MCOT executive director.
Sessions have already been held in three Council districts. For information, you can check out the webcast “Philadelphia’s Got IT (PGIT)” at http://mcot.phila.gov.
Why must we go through all this? Available broadcast bandwidth is increasingly crowded, meaning it’s difficult for police, fire and other security operations to squeeze in their potentially lifesaving broadcasts.
Today, more than 90 percent of U.S. television stations broadcast a digital signal, according to a WHYY handbook on the changeover.
By Joe Clark
It was an undertaking by seniors for seniors.
At one end, seniors at The University of the Arts. At the other, seniors from the “College of Hard Knocks.”
For a year, the 21 students in the industrial design class at the university, Broad and Pine Sts., studied, researched and then developed unique and imaginative equipment to aid older people in their daily lives.
The purpose of the project, Professor Beth Van Why explains, was to “study and understand the needs and problems of the ever-growing aging population [including] the sudden infusion of baby boomers.”
In addition, says Van Why, the project helped the students “identify the many facets of aging in America.”
One-arm knitting
Most of the ideas, says Van Why, “dealt directly with making life better for seniors and society.”
For example, student Beck Linneman came up with a knitting method for persons who either lost an arm or have use of only one arm. After doing research at nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities, she developed an apparatus that holds a knitting needle and can be attached to the body.
Linneman is a knitter, said Van Why, “and understands the impact knitting can have on a person’s life. It’s very calming and therapeutic.”
Another design was a hitch for a motorized chair/scooter that can hold a variety of accessories, including a rain-protective canopy,
Milk jug redesigned
The project’s theme, “Aging by Design,” was developed during the summer by the department’s faculty — Professor Van Why, Rama Chorpash, Patrycja Doniewski, Anthony Guido and Brett Snyder.
“It was the first time we ever did anything on aging,” says Van Why.
When the project was presented, the students “did not receive it well,” said Van Why. “They had their own ideas. But after a few weeks, after they started their research, they were fully on-board.”
Some worked on their project alone. Others, like Brian Kelly and Andrew McCandlish, worked in teams. These two aspiring entrepreneurs were inspired to build a better milk jug that does not need to be lifted, just tilted.
“They redesigned a gallon milk jug,” said Van Why, with a spout in the front rather than the top, making it easier to pour.
In all, this creative class came up with 20 one-of-a-kind products that maybe, just maybe, you may some day find in a store near you.
If you’re a low-income older Philadelphia homeowner, you may qualify to participate in a study, “Making a Difference: Measuring the Impact of Home Modifications on Seniors’ Lives.”
Ninety seniors will be selected by JEVS Supports for Independence to receive free personal evaluations, free home assessments to see what type of modifications are needed (such as bathroom grab bars, railings and lighting) and assistance in finding additional funding if needed.
To see whether you may qualify, contact JEVS Supports for Independence at 267-298-1306. The study is funded by the Helen D. Groome Beatty Trust, a Mellon Mid-Atlantic Charitable Trust.
An indoor-outdoor flea market will be held at Aid for Friends Frail Elderly Outreach Center, in Northeast Philadelphia, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 7.
The event, rain or shine, will feature refreshments sold by volunteers, contests for Phillies tickets and a gift basket, a cake sale, face painting and balloons for kids, and entertainment.
If you want to be a vendor, you have until June 3 to reserve a space. Spaces have been allocated in the warehouse and adjacent parking lot at 12271 Townsend Road. Vendors must supply their own tables; set-up begins at 8. To reserve a space, each renting for $20, you may call co-chairs Lynn Trombetta or Ann Glanville, at 215-464-2224.
An NBC10 live broadcast special on Thursday, June 5, from 7 to 8 p.m., will look at Philadelphia through the eyes and experiences of senior citizens, and consider how to make it a more “senior-friendly” city.
Improving transportation, safety, housing affordability and accessibility and neighborhood connections are among the topics to be discussed by host Terry Ruggles with the panel and audience members.
“The things that make a city ‘senior-friendly’ really improve living conditions for people of all ages,” said David Nevison, associate executive director for planning and development for Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA). “Some of these require action by city government, and others are as simple as neighbors connecting with one another to combat isolation.”
PCA worked closely with NBC10 to develop the program, and has produced a brochure to guide neighborhoods, faith communities and individuals in developing a “Connected Caring Community.” For a copy, you may call PCA at 215-765-9040.