BERNARDSTON — From the moment she became director of the Bernardston Senior Center, Jennifer Reynolds observed a theme not just in her own town, but in other communities with significantly higher populations of senior citizens: a chronic lack of digital infrastructure that’s affecting the largest age group in Franklin County.

“In Bernardston we had pretty much no infrastructure for technology,” Reynolds said. “My first thought was I wanted to get the Senior Center wired up for access points and computers. We had none of the above, and so we were just working off of Comcast, but we didn’t have enough bandwidth, and it was really challenging running a senior center with spotty internet.”

It was Reynolds’ work toward increasing digital inclusion, as well as making the Senior Center a role model for improving access to technology in western Massachusetts, that earned the center the Massachusetts Council on Aging’s Innovation of the Year Award, along with a nomination for the Massachusetts Broadband Institute’s first-ever Top Innovator in Digital Inclusion Award.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 25.8% of the population in Franklin County is 65 years old or older, with many of these people living in towns that are far from the nearest health clinic, with no evening public transportation — which Reynolds mentioned is when government meetings are usually held. Not only does this make visiting the hospital for routine check-ups more difficult, but it also keeps seniors from staying updated on town hall decisions that may affect them, since they aren’t always equipped with the skills to find answers online.

This widespread problem is what initially inspired Reynolds to take action by attending tech talks, applying for grants, such as one from the state Executive Office of Elder Affairs, and using leftover American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Through her research, Reynolds discovered the Claris Companion tablet: a device that acknowledges the age of its users and is specifically designed for adults with no previous experience in technology.

“Our average user has never leveraged technology before,” she said.

Reynolds found eight western Massachusetts towns that expressed interest in deploying the 50 tablets she acquired, and from there it was an upward slope of achievement. The tablets caught on, with the average user being 83 years old. Users can easily send messages, receive photos and engage in video calls.

“Eliminating some of the steps makes it more user-friendly,” Reynolds noted.

Both Reynolds and family members can access a tablet owner’s data through a Claris dashboard, making it easy to track activity. When activity slows, that can indicate to whoever is keeping track of the tablet’s use that it may be time to step in and help as the inactivity may be due to confusion or frustration.

Since the tablets were introduced, Reynolds has observed older adults, who were afraid of technology before, now active on Facebook, sending emails and even accessing their Baystate Health patient portals. Reynolds was also able to have Claris program specific local features into their tablets, including direct links to Bernardston-Northfield Community Television (BNCTV) to make watching town meetings online easier for users who would have trouble finding it otherwise.

Following a nomination from Brianna Sunryd of the Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management, the Senior Center became a finalist for MBI’s first-ever Top Innovator in Digital Inclusion Award. Reynolds was also invited to speak during the awards event, held during MBI’s National Digital Inclusion Week in October.

Reynolds said she was shocked to become a finalist, as she got the feeling that most people from more metropolitan areas in the state had probably never heard of some of the towns she has been working with, never mind their technological gaps.

“Mass is such a high-technology state, they’re not gonna care what we’re doing,” she said, reflecting on her surprise that western Massachusetts was recognized. “Lo and behold, I got an email that I was nominated to present.”

Though the Senior Center did not ultimately win the Top Innovator in Digital Inclusion Award, receipt of the Massachusetts Council on Aging’s Innovation of the Year Award came just a few weeks later.

“By offering digital health and fitness classes, streaming town meetings and delivering personalized tech training, your efforts have had a measurable, positive impact on older adults,” reads a statement from the Massachusetts Council on Aging. “Your innovation is a model for digital inclusion and community engagement, with the potential to be replicated across other aging service organizations.”

Thanking the staff at Claris and her tech helpers who deployed the tablets to towns, as well as other regional and state partners, Reynolds said her future goals involve keeping the momentum going.

“Anything with technology is rapidly changing, so I’m just trying to keep my eye out for more opportunities and funding,” she said. “Anything that will serve older adults better.”