Deschutes County Health Services has about 20 clients who are older adults with psychiatric disorders that don’t have enough support to get by without help from the county.

Some live alone. They don’t have computers. They don’t have iPhones. They can’t do Zoom meetings.

They still need care. They still need contact. They may need food and prescriptions. And when COVID-19 hit, county staff faced a serious problem in checking in with them.

Hannah Wagner, a member of the health services team, heard about Grandpads. They are iPads that are simplified and limited. And they are just what anyone would want of any technology — super easy to use. She wrote a grant application and the county received a $5,000 grant from the Central Oregon Health Council for a handful of Grandpads and internet connections.

The Grandpads are set up specifically for each client. They can use them to connect to family, doctors and county staff. And the county has a way to see and interact with their clients without having to visit in person during the pandemic. The county is setting up seven of them now. If they work as well as everyone hopes, the program could be expanded, Molly Wells Darling, the program manager of the county’s intensive adult services, told us.

Add us to the list of people who hope the Grandpads do the job and that the county will be able to get any money it might need to expand the program.