After over a year of having to provide only “no contact” services, we are thrilled to be able to safely bring back our seniors! Our intern, Anijah Smith, sat down for a Q & A with Julie Wise to discuss the importance of this program and the obstacles they have over come.
Q:Describe the senior program before COVID-19.
A: Pre-COVID the Senior Program had four main sub-programs including medical transportation, grocery store transportation, case management, and food services with Life Care Alliance.
Q: How did you shift programming to safely serve seniors during COVID-19?
A: We provided assistance through phone calls, text messages, and zoom programming. We also delivered boxes of food and ensured that seniors had transportation to resources. Another important thing we did was assist with COVID-19 vaccination needs.
Q: Did COVID-19 affect seniors in any specific ways?
A: Yes. Things such as isolation, obtaining health care, food stability, and connecting with health services were all things that affected the seniors during COVID-19.
Q: What precautions are you taking to ensure the seniors are safe?
A: We complete home visits with masks, all are required to wear masks in our building, transportation buses are constantly cleaned and sanitized.
Q: Do you have any fun activities coming up that you are excited about?
A: Yes we do, we have the Columbus symphony, baseball game, lunch off site, and a casino trip coming up.
Q: Why is programming like this important for seniors in our community?
A: It is important because it can help the seniors connect through any outside programs, it’s also important because it can help seniors learn how to live in there homes as long as they can independently.