Connect the Love

The CareTech Foundation is delighted to be the host of a great new non-profit – Connect the Love - an initiative established to support digitally unconnected people, who are isolated in care homes, hospitals and vulnerable situations, by providing devices to connect them to loved ones and other means of support.

To date, Connect the Love has been able to provide 142 iPads to care homes, hospitals and vulnerable situations.

Lucy Russo, who works in the venture capital industry, devised Connect the Love as a way to give vulnerable and digitally unconnected individuals a way to see and speak to their loved ones, and access other means of support.

Whilst many care providers have platforms for online communication between care home residents and their relatives, this is relatively new and tends to be restricted to larger providers.  The cost margins do not allow for this at smaller providers or those run by charities.  The idea is a simple one asking people to donate unused iPhones or tablets or procuring refurbished devices through supply partners at extremely preferential rates and donating them to care homes to enable them to help residents contact their families during lockdown. 100% of all donations will go towards purchasing second hand devices for those in need.

The project has since expanded to include their focus on getting devices to those who have previously fallen through the gaps and have been affected by mental health, domestic abuse and modern day slavery as well.