Community impact
As of June 2020, as medical appointments and procedures were on the schedule again, volunteers resumed escorts for seniors for their medical appointments and procedures. When needed, seniors have also been escorted to/from the polls for voting, banks and other vital errands. For those unable to go out, volunteers assisted seniors with mail in ballots, drops off to post offices, getting seniors’ pets to vets, picking up from pharmacies and delivery of those medicines and other medical/health related supplies and getting/bringing seniors mail to them when they couldn’t leave their apartments.
Contactless shopping & errands for Visiting Neighbors’ seniors have continued since the start of the pandemic. Access to food and essential supplies continues to be a main focus, as does, having seniors maintain connections to the outside, others and correct health information. We continue working with other charities, one of which delivers “gourmet meals” to our seniors who are in their catchment area. Those seniors really looked forward during this crisis to the delicious meals they received – especially the Saturday meals and we continue to work with local restaurants that have been able and willing to donate meals to our seniors that our volunteers then deliver.
In an abundance of caution for both our seniors and volunteers, Friendly Visiting has happened with some necessary restrictions (volunteers setting up chairs in hall ways, visiting with the needed distance in lobbies or visiting at home with PPE and with the proper 6ft distance).
Telephone Reassurance program has been operating in full force —- over 13,000 hours to date from the start of FY2021. Volunteers and staff contact seniors who were/are feeling isolated, very lonely and afraid or want a check-in call to get updated information or to make sure they are ok.
Through Health & Wellness and Info, Visiting Neighbors sent out numerous mailings from July 1st 2020 to present to seniors that included safety information, health and wellness tips including staying calm, coping with depression and communications with medical professionals, in home (easy, some chair exercise and stretches) exercises and mental stimulation through games, quizzes, puzzles and riddles. Staff has done a lot of cheering up – not only seniors, but to volunteers (ages 17- 78), who also expressed sadness, anxiety, depression, anger, fear and frustration. We reminded everyone around us that we were open and are here to assist them whenever they needed us.
Even more essential now, we continue to celebrate a senior’s birthday with sending personalized cards and a special tribute to a senior reaching 100 years old by joining our Centenarian Club, which currently has a dozen members and could have 16 by the summer. We honor all of our seniors and support them as they struggle with the normal and not so normal challenges of aging. 8. We also dealt with a lot of mourning and grief (some caused by COVID-19) and all the painful emotions that go with it and have provided individual emotional support to seniors and volunteers who have suffered loss of spouse/partner, child, sibling or other relative, friend, neighbor or pet.
