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Network of Support for Community Living www.sfnscl.net Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Network of Support for Community Living? Network of Support for Community Living (www.sfnscl.net) is a comprehensive, community-based Web site created to improve and better coordinate services for the seniors and people with disabilities in San Francisco. 2. Is Network of Support for Community Living a replacement for SFGetCare? Partially. As of July 1, 2005 the online resource directory component of SFGetCare will no longer be available. Network of Support for Community Living will include San Francisco’s online resource directory for people with disabilities and seniors. The Care Tool, Service Reporting Tool, Home Delivered Meals Clearing House, Targeted Case Management, Laguna Honda Hospital project will still be accessed through SF-GetCare. 3. Who runs Network of Support for Community Living? San Francisco’s Network of Support for Community Living Web site is sponsored by The San Francisco Department of Aging and Adult Services and is a free service to anyone on the internet. It is built, operated and maintained by Trilogy Integrated Resources LLC (www.trilogyir.com). 4. Why are you introducing a new web site in such difficult financial times? After over a year of evaluation and community input, it was determined that the community wanted a more up-to-date, user friendly electronic resource to rely on. It was also determined that the Network of Support for Community Living is significantly less expensive to maintain. Network of Support for Community Living offers the community a better tool for less money. 5. Does Network of Support for Community Living exist in other California counties? Trilogy has created similar websites for 16 other California Counties: Alameda, Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, Fresno, Glenn, Kings, Monterey, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Tehama. In all other counties the web site is called Network of Care. When developing the site for San Francisco it became clear that something unique was underway. San Franciscan’s wanted to take on the use of the word “care.” Many communities across the country struggle with how to incorporate Independent Living philosophy into their system of service and support. Many communities grapple with the undesirable connotations associated with “long term care.” San Francisco does not have the answer but we are moving toward the use of more inclusive terminology that shows respect to everyone we serve and support.

For additional information please contact Jennifer Coffey at the Department of Aging and Adult Services at (415) 355-6787, or email [email protected]

Network of Support for Community Living www.sfnscl.net 6. How often is Network of Support for Community Living’s content updated? Network of Support for Community Living’s various channels are updated on specific schedules. For example, the bill information in the Legislate section is updated daily. The articles in the Library are reviewed quarterly and annually to ensure accuracy, and new articles are added frequently. The database in the Service Directory will initially be updated quarterly, and then move to a monthly schedule of updates through a partnership with United Way’s Helplink, while the Assistive Devices database is updated quarterly to provide the latest information. 7. What does Network of Support for Community Living offer that other Web sites don’t? Network of Support for Community Living offers a vast array of services and information for seniors, people with disabilities, caregivers and service providers. It was designed specifically to improve access to services in San Francisco County. It strives to be accessible to those with limited computer or Web experience, those with limited English, those with limited finances and those with physical disabilities. Beside English, this site will have the information in Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Russian. Network of Support for Community Living offers all services free of charge in one custom-built, user-friendly package. 8. What is the accessibility level of these sites? Network of Support for Community Living is available in a text-only version that is Bobby-approved and fully ADA-compliant (Level 3). The text-only version is designed to be fully accessible to users with visual impairment and those who use computer screen-reader programs. Network of Support for Community Living also will be available in San Francisco County in Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Russian. 9. How can you ensure that seniors will use a service like this? How will you encourage seniors to use the resource? We know that of all Internet users, 17 percent are seniors, and seniors are the fastest-growing user group on the Web. Almost all projections show that the percentage of seniors using the Web will continue to increase, making the Internet an almost universal tool for that population group. In response to that, San Francisco County is positioning itself with this information tool so it’s ready to serve the senior population, now and in the future. Also, to make our services better known to seniors, we provide training to anyone who wants to offer Network of Support for Community Living workshops at San Francisco senior centers. 10. What security measures do you use to keep confidential information secure in the My Record section? We use the highest form of VeriSign security: 128-bit Secure Socket Layer encryption. This system is basically hacker-proof.

For additional information please contact Jennifer Coffey at the Department of Aging and Adult Services at (415) 355-6787, or email [email protected]