Hillsborough County Nursing Home recently created a residents’ lounge with widescreen TV and a working fireplace.

And on top of that, they installed three handicap-accessible computer stations with Internet access.

“We have quite a few residents who come down,” said Linda Little, volunteer coordinator at The Hill. “One gentleman is down here first thing every morning.”

Helping the residents navigate the Internet are 10 students from Saint Anselm College, who volunteer every week, Monday through Thursday. Each student contributes 20 hours per semester to the nursing home, helping with e-mail and writing letters, playing games, surfing the Internet, and more.

Eileen Carew is a sophomore at Saint Anselm, taking an Introduction to Computers class with senior Kayleigh Farrell. Carew is a business major and Farrell is in nursing, but both girls are interested in gaining real-life experience while in college.

Farrell has participated in other service learning projects during her years at Saint Anselm and is enjoying her time at The Hill.

“We were showing one of the residents how to use Word, and I don’t think she’d ever used a word processor before. She was very pleased to be able to write regular letters and notes to herself.”

Resident Bob Guerette has a laptop in his room, but said, “I come down here every day, and if I see someone on the computer trying to do something, I try to help them. We play games and go on the internet,” he said. “Each resident has their own e-mail account, so they can check their mail (too).”

Some residents are using typing programs to enhance their keyboarding skills. Many residents are excited about having access to the new technology, and take full advantage of its availability.

The Saint Anselm students have developed relationships with some of the residents, and e-mails fly back and forth, full of jokes that the students share with others in their classes. Guerette has received e-mails from students he’s never met, thanking him for the jokes and encouraging him to send more.

As the Introduction to Computers class has taught Carew and Farrell new tricks and shortcuts, they’ve brought them to The Hill and shared them with the residents, who in turn share them with others.