|
The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating
for older adults, people with disabilities, and their
families. Across the country, the aging and disability
networks have risen to the challenges posed by the pandemic
and overcome unprecedented barriers to continue serving
their communities.
For an on-the-ground example of these
efforts, we spoke to New York State Office for the Aging
(NYSOFA) Acting Director Greg Olsen. In the Q&A below,
he discusses how his office has been responding to the many
challenges created by the pandemic, the important role of
partnerships, innovative programs to combat social
isolation, efforts to increase vaccine and testing access,
and the future of aging services in his state.
What were some of the biggest challenges
older adults faced in the early months of the pandemic?
In early 2020, New York was quick to
implement a stay-at-home order for individuals over 70,
those with chronic conditions, and those with compromised
immune systems. In addition, most community outlets were
closed in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. These
public health measures impacted individuals’ ability to
grocery shop, go to appointments, socialize, and work as
they stayed home to protect themselves. The pandemic also
impacted older staff, volunteers and community-based
organizations that serve older adults. We changed our
business model overnight to get meals to older adults,
deliver groceries and day-to-day supplies, provide safe
transportation to cancer and dialysis treatments, combat
social isolation by implementing virtual programming, and
enhance our outreach to combat elder abuse and scams. The
demand for our support and help increased significantly and
we were able to accomplish this through our network of
partners and the many groups and individuals of all ages in
the community who wanted to assist.
How did New York's aging network adjust to
these challenges and maintain services?
During the pandemic, the primary requests
for services included meal delivery to the home, grocery
and supply delivery, prescription drug delivery,
transportation to medical appointments, social interactions
to combat isolation, and elder abuse identification and
mitigation. Our operations immediately pivoted. We
significantly increased our nutrition program, which was
already the largest in the country, leveraging existing
programs like home-delivered meals while working creatively
to provide older adults with shopping assistance, emergency
shelf-stable meals, grab-and-go food options, and training
on the use of private delivery services apps.
Providers transitioned as many programs as
possible to Zoom, social media, and other online platforms,
including health and wellness programs and evidence-based
interventions, while expanding projects to increase
connectivity. Working to close the technology access gap,
NYSOFA and the network provided phones and tablets, wi-fi,
and training on how to use this equipment to help older
adults stay engaged and tap into virtual programming. We
added a social isolation screen and a technology check to
our comprehensive assessment and launched multiple
partnerships to bring a variety of programming into the
homes of older adults and their caregivers.
These initiatives and more were supported in
large part thanks to efforts at all levels of government
which secured and delivered more than $149 million in
federal supplemental funding for NYSOFA programs and
services that we immediately distributed to all counties.
Additional federal resources will be needed on an ongoing
basis to support providers as they continue to meet service
demand, innovate, and achieve a more optimal balance of
professional workers and volunteers.
Can you please provide some examples of how
your agency has partnered with businesses, state and
federal agencies, and volunteers to better support older
adults during the pandemic?
NYSOFA worked extensively with our federal
partners in developing national policy changes based on New
York’s early experiences with the first wave of the
pandemic – and we especially appreciated the support and
guidance of ACL in these efforts.
For instance, NYSOFA worked with ACL on
efforts to reach more people and new populations through
the dedication of supplemental funds. We used these funds
for outreach to younger disabled New Yorkers who were not
traditionally connected to any state or local agencies
prior to the pandemic, as well as for services to
individuals living in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development buildings.
Private partnerships also helped extend our
reach. NYSOFA leveraged its use of the state’s purchasing
power to provide emergency meals through local restaurants
to more than 40 counties. We also partnered with Sysco
foods to provide 1.5 million meals to older adults and
received donations from farms wishing to donate their
products to older adults in need. We also launched several
partnerships with technology platforms to significantly
expand virtual programming.
Volunteers have always been important to our
service delivery network – and especially so during the
pandemic. They implemented shopping programs, engaged
community members in friendly phone calls or ran errands
for older adults living alone, and so much more.
New York has come up with some creative
strategies to promote social engagement during the
pandemic. Can you tell us about the new Pets Together
program?
NYSOFA, in partnership with the Association
on Aging in New York, spent a lot of time learning what was
available in the market that would help combat social
isolation and increase connectedness while supporting
lifelong learning. We received demonstrations from many
companies and selected several for collaboration.
As an example, Pets Together is a national
non-profit organization that connects older New Yorkers
with the therapeutic power of pets using video chat
services. Through this service, older adults meet with pet
owners, who are volunteers, to see, learn and talk about
their pets. The mere presence of animals is proven to
reduce stress – even in a virtual setting – and these
conversations offer an opportunity for engagement aimed at
combatting social isolation. We’ve been working closely
with the Association on Aging in New York to promote this
free service through social media and other outlets and
drive up volunteer rates so Pets Together can continue to
expand its service nationally.
Pets Together is just one of several
partnerships in NYSOFA’s highly focused effort to combat
social isolation. We also offer virtual programming and lifelong
learning through education and social connectivity
platforms like GetSetUp, which has provided over 109,000
free online classes to 80,000 New Yorkers in one year,
expansion of the Virtual Senior Center operated by Selfhelp
Community Services, and our partnership with the New York
State Council on the Arts to bring professional artists
into homes through technology. We are also expanding
NYSOFA’s award-winning Animatronic Pet Project, which is
being replicated across the country and which evidence has
shown can reduce self-reported loneliness and social
isolation by 70 percent for individuals who receive one of
these companionship pets.
Vaccinations and testing are critical public
health tools that have saved lives. How have you worked to
ensure older adults and people with disabilities can access
these tools? Can you share any tips for others to use as
they work in similar settings?
NYSOFA and the network played – and continue
to play – a pivotal role in helping older adults get
vaccinated at community sites and in their homes. County
Offices for the Aging took phone calls, booked
appointments, replicated paperwork, and provided
transportation, wheelchairs, or other supports at
vaccination sites to get shots in people’s arms. NYSOFA was
instrumental in working with the New York State Department
of Health to develop guidance and implementation of the
in-home vaccination program for those who could not make it
to a vaccine site. Our partners at the Association on Aging
in New York worked with Kinney Drugs in almost 30 counties
to host vaccination clinics exclusively for older adults in
partnership with the area agencies on aging (AAAs).
Our network played the same role for booster
shots, and we are set deliver tens of thousands of
additional test kits to the AAAs as their local supply is
starting to run short in some areas.
How are you thinking about aging services in
New York moving forward as we all adjust to our "new
normal?" What innovations will you be pursuing,
if any?
Even as the COVID-19 emergency period
recedes, all signs show that the virus will be a part of
our lives over the long term. Nevertheless, I am incredibly
hopeful. We have an enormous capacity to adapt, innovate,
and build on what we’ve learned, which is exactly how
NYSOFA intends to approach future programming.
The new normal is now. We plan on continuing
to test and roll out innovations, such as a financial
security and bill-payer support initiative, a project with
Trualta to provide training and tools for caregivers, and a
partnership with GoGoGrandparent to expand transportation
options. We are also working with the National Association
of Home Builders to be the first state unit on aging in the
country to offer NAHB’s Certified Aging in Place Specialist
certification to our case managers. This project will
continue to enhance and build upon our standardized
training and capacity building, equipping New York’s aging
services providers with the skills to work with families on
home safety recommendations.
New York continues to make new strides,
building on its status as the first state in the nation to
receive AARP’s age-friendly designation. Governor Kathy
Hochul is advancing this vital work by assembling state
agencies to work collaboratively with stakeholders on a
state master plan for aging. This deliberate process will
continue to support individuals of all ages to create
resilient communities that promote healthy living, access
to care, community connectedness, and more.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment