Older Adults Technology Services

Senior Planet is the name of the award-winning set of program experiences through which OATS engages a diverse array of older adults and the organizations that serve them across America. Individual Senior Planet participants share a collective commitment to "Aging with Attitude and their active participation in the world-class programming that OATS delivers through a variety of delivery channels sparks measurable changes in outlook and behavior that produce outcomes in specific dimensions of an older adult's life: increased social connection, improved health, greater financial security, more active participation as citizens and advocates, and access to new pathways to creativity.While OATS itself delivers Senior Planet programs in person in several key US markets and virtually at seniorplanet.org, the organization also offers a unique licensing program that enables hundreds of qualified community-based sites to provide in-person Senior Planet experiences to older residents in their local urban, suburban, and rural communities in more than 39 states across America.Below is a summary of the key accomplishments of OATS in 2025.2025 Key Projects:Senior Planet delivered 845,000 engagements to new and returning participants through our virtual, in-person, and licensing programs.Senior Planet offered nearly 4,000 live online classes, with participants from all fifty states engaging in these programs over 520,000 times. Senior Planet continued its popular fitness offerings, while also testing new formats, such as short, live tech demos and multi-week classes in fitness, watercolor painting, and baking. The Contact Center had its busiest year yet, handling more than 60,000 calls and emails for program inquiries and technical support sessions. Senior Planet centers in Miami, Plattsburgh, and Denver maintained their operations, while in-person training continued through partners in Texas, Maryland, and California. The New York City center temporarily closed its doors as Senior Planet developed a new state-of-the-art space in midtown Manhattan. The organization also continued delivering in-person programs in collaboration with AARP state offices across the country.Verizon launched its partnership with OATS to deliver co-branded technology education focused on digital wellness for adults ages 50 and older. Older adults received training in smartphone use and safety across all three Senior Planet channels, with in-person activities at select Verizon retail stores. By December 2025, Senior Planet and partners delivered more than 1,800 training sessions, generating nearly 30,000 engagements.NYC's Department for the Aging continued its 10-year partnership with OATS through the Connected Communities Initiative. The goal of this public-sector partnership is aimed at closing the digital divide among older New Yorkers by providing digital skills training in NYC Older Adult Center locations.With support from the Humana Foundation, OATS embarked on a two-and-a-half-year project to reduce loneliness and social isolation among older adults living in underserved areas across the country. Year 1 of the "Aging Reconnected" grant focused on developing an assessment tool and collecting resources to strengthen social connections among seniors.Expansion of the Senior Planet Licensing Program:The Senior Planet licensing program powerfully equips local organizations across the country with the tools to help older adults access technology and use it to enhance their lives. Through an adaptable program model, the Senior Planet licensing structure works with community-based organizations to develop local trainers to deliver Senior Planet's proprietary curriculum and bring Senior Planet's world-class programs to older adults in their area. In 2025, the Senior Planet Licensing program expanded to 740 licensing sites nationwide, covering 39 states. Thought Leadership Highlights:In 2025, OATS staff and leadership participated in 77 total speaking engagements, reaching approximately 15,442 individuals across the country. In January, OATS Executive Director Tom Kamber and other staff members went to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to learn about emerging technology and film "behind-the-curtain" footage of the conference for Senior Planet participants. Staff members from across the organization participated in a range of presentations to audiences including the AARP Family Caregiver Discussion Group, various AARP offices, UNESCO, foundations, commissions for older adults, the Alzheimer's Association, local resource fairs and community health committees in Texas, California, Colorado, Arizona, Minnesota, and more. In September, OATS hosted a Satellite Media Tour (SMT) on the topic of Digital House Cleaning. Executive Director Tom Kamber shared importance of keeping your digital life organized, backed by a survey that reveals nearly two-thirds of adults aged 50-plus have not saved critical documents digitally, and more than 60% say they either don't know how or haven't gotten around to it. Tom did an astonishing 23 back-to-back interviews on 9/30, both live and recorded, with television and radio stations from across the country. We saw incredibly high interest in the topic with over 1,000 individuals signed up for the email challenge, 5,608 landing page views, and 284 submissions for the privacy personality quiz embedded on the landing page in the week following the event. Press and Media Highlights:In 2025, OATS released a series of press announcements highlighting its growing national impact in digital inclusion, healthy aging, and technology education for older adults. On March 12, OATS announced "Senior Planet from AARP Celebrates Sixth Cohort of Older Adult Sponsored Athletes," recognizing the selection of five older adult athletes who promote wellness and active aging through fitness and community engagement. On September 30, OATS launched the "Digital House Cleaning Challenge," a free initiative helping older adults improve digital organization, privacy, and online safety skills through Senior Planet offerings. During Digital Inclusion Week, on October 6, OATS released the "Aging Connected 2025" report, which was a follow-up report that found that millions of adults aged 65+ still lack home broadband access despite national progress in connectivity.OATS also announced major investments to expand digital literacy and economic opportunity programs. On October 22, OATS shared news of a $500,000 JPMorgan Chase grant supporting technology training for older adult small business owners in Miami. On November 18, OATS announced a continued investment from AT&T to expand digital skills programming and partner support nationwide. Together, these announcements reinforced OATS from AARP's role as a national leader, helping older adults build confidence, connection, and opportunity through technology.Through mentions in the media, OATS garnered 8.5 billion impressions in the calendar year through 643 unique media placements, and 4,299 syndicated placements. 2025 Featured Press Mentions:1. 2/17: Woman's World How AI Assistants Can Save You Time and MoneyHere's What You Need to Know 2. 3/30 Fox News America's seniors are vulnerable to these digital threats, experts warn 3. 5/16: Santa Barbara Independent Just Keep Swimming (And Moving) with Arlette Godges 4. 7/30: Parade Magazine - 'I'm 71 Years Old and in the Best Shape of My LifeHere's Every Detail of My Workout Routine' 5. 8/9: The New York Times - How Older People Are Reaping Brain Benefits From New Tech 6. 8/19: The Washington Post - How America's seniors are confronting the dizzying world of AI 7. 8/24: Business Insider - I attended an AI class for older Americans. The students couldn't have been more excited. 8. 9/3: CBS News Colorado From apps to AI, program in Denver helps adults 60 and older learn and thrive in the digital world. 9. 10/14: Fox News: National program helps seniors spot scams as losses surge 10. 11/12: Kiplinger - A GUIDE TO LAUNCHING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS AFTER 50 To learn more about OATS and Senior Planet visit oats.org and SeniorPlanet.org