National AARP is sharing current COVID-19 information every Thursday at 10:00 a.m. PDT. The phone # is 885-274-9507.
These past few weeks have been a difficult time for all of us. As various government and other agencies have given us timely information and suggestions as to how to handle the Coronavirus, we still need to know how to live in this ‘new normal’ time.
Many of you want to know how and if the events and meetings in which our chapter is normally involved will continue; all I can say right now is that we are basically in uncharted waters. The Board and I want to continue as many activities as possible, while planning them under these new circumstances.
I know that it is important for seniors not to feel undue isolation in this moment. Loneliness is a human issue, especially for those of us over 55. National AARP reckons that 20% of older Americans are at risk for social isolation, and even more if they are struggling financially. Therefore, I am asking Thelma Bridges, our phone committee chair, to make sure that members of her committee contact all members on a weekly basis to make sure you all have food, medicines, etc. that you need. None of our members should feel unsure about having food and over-the-counter medications; surely, some of us can help the others who need assistance.
As new information comes in, I will continue to post it on our website and/or in the Dispatch. If you want to share information or, especially, to help a fellow member with shopping or other issues, please contact me or one of the Board members if you need contact information.
For some specific information about caregiving, a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging, Eldercare Locator, connects people to services for older adults and their families. They can be reached at https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Index.aspx or at 1-800-677-1116.
I participated in the national AARP conference call on March 26; the moderator gave us the following websites for monitoring the virus:
aarp.org/coronavirus; AARP’s updates
cdc.gov/coronavirus; the Center for Disease Control