National
Council on Aging [NCOA] Tele-Town Hall: Caring for Older Adults During COVID-19
Pandemic
Friday,
28 March 2020
Last week I was invited
to attend the NCOA tele-town hall meeting to discuss new resources for older
adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was especially timely, as some of our valuable nonprofits have
closed temporarily, yet the pandemic is spreading and people need accurate
information. Unfortunately, there is a
glut of misinformation, guidance, and misunderstanding. The objective of the
NCOA tele-town hall was filling gaps in communication.
Because this was a
phone conference without slides, I took copious notes during the town hall
meeting. The remarks of the panel are in
quotes, as I have summarized what they said. The meeting was vibrant and
productive. Lots of SOLUTIONS!
Experts discussed the urgent
problems facing older adults—and the possible solutions—during this crisis.
Panelists included:
- Anna Maria Chávez, Executive Vice President and Chief
Growth Officer, NCOA
- Sandy Markwood, CEO, National Association of Area
Agencies on Aging
- Ellie Hollnder, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels
America
- Sindy Benavides, CEO, League of United Latin American
Citizens
- Jenna McDavid, National Director, Diverse Elders
Coalition
- Michael Soto, Executive Director, Equality Arizona
Anna
Maria Chavez's
introduction summary: “We are a just and caring society. Our mission at NCOA is to improve the lives
of older adults. Many older adults are
vulnerable and there is a lot of misinformation out there. We will pull through this by pulling
together.”
Sandy Markwood's remarks summary: “CV19 has hit older adults the hardest and
they are American’s most vulnerable group.” I was called away from my desk momentarily and missed some of her discussion. There lots of resources on their web site https://www.n4a.org/.
Ellie
Hollnder’s remarks
summary: “America is addressing senior hunger and isolation. MOW provides 2.5 million meals annually. The
majority of older adults who have delivered meals live alone, have multiple
chronic conditions and take multiple medications. To address the COVID-19 pandemic, MOW
volunteers are working nearly around the clock.
Home delivered meals have a ‘no-touch” policy that combines delivery
with follow-up phone checks. They also have “grab and go” sites for meal
pick-up. On their website, click on “Find
Meals” and click on “Find Meals.” Then, type in the zip code to find “grab and
go” options.” Readers, I found that this
is offered on a limited basis and not all towns have it. Many of the agencies and sites have
closed. Here is what Boston is doing to address
senior meals: https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2020/03/18/meals-on-wheels-offering-grab-and-go-sites-stepping-up-to-feed-seniors-amid-virus-outbreak
Sindy M. Benavides’
remarks summary: “LULAC is the oldest and largest Hispanic membership agency in
the country. There is a lack of bilingual COVID-19 information. The information
is not in Spanish and many citizens are not fluent in English. There is also a
lack of transportation. The LULAC organization has resources on its website, https://lulac.org/covid19/ Unfortunately,
many Hispanic do not have computers or internet access in their home to access
this information. They can text 52886 Covid19esp [esp is for Espania/Spanish
language] for information in Spanish.”
Jenna McDavid’s remarks
summary: “The
Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC) advocates for policies and programs that improve
aging in our communities as racially and ethnically diverse people; American
Indians and Alaska Natives; and lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender
people. Together, we are
made up of six national organizations representing a growing majority of
millions of older people throughout the country: American Indian and Alaska Native
Elders; Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian older adults;
Black and African American older adults; Hispanic and Latina older adults; and
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults. Hispanics
may avoid reaching out for help because they are concerned about their
immigration status. The DEC Help Line is 800-336-2722. This link is specific to
COVID-19 and includes numerous
resources. https://www.diverseelders.org/?s=covid+19&submit=Search Asian Americans including Chinese, Cambodian,
Laotian, and Vietnamese are experiencing hate crimes, physical, and verbal
abuse due to stereotyping of the “Chinese” virus. They are afraid. A good resource is https://www.searac.org/
Older
American Indians and Alaska Natives need accurate and timely COVID-19
resources. Check out their website https://www.nicoa.org/about-us/. Get involved and let your voice be heard!
Every Friday at 3:00 pm ET, they have a meeting. All are invited! The phone number is
888-788-6210. The password is 7368121.
Another
organization helping marginalized older adults is SAGE, advocating and services
for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender persons. This group is especially marginalized, often
without the support of biological family members. There is a more heightened level of isolation
among LGBT agers. Although the SAGE
offices recently closed for COVID-19 through March, inquires can be made
through their website https://www.sageusa.org/news-posts/covid-19/ or by emailing info@sageusa.org. They also maintain a FB page https://www.facebook.com/SAGEUSA/
with tons of resources and recommendations.”
Michael Soto’s
remarks summary: “We are dependent on one another to get through this crisis. In
Arizona, fourteen percent of the population are older adults and a quarter of
them live alone. Because they are LGBTQ, they have experienced lifelong
rejection. They have housing
shortages. Their families are created,
not usually their bio family members.” His
recent blog post from March 16 is compelling and includes some resources: https://www.equalityarizona.org/post/fighting-for-lgbtq-arizonans-during-the-covid-19-pandemic
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