Senior Services Associates’ holiday lunches are legendary. There are always festive decorations, food and music. Elgin police officers often show up to help serve lunch.
Last week, when Senior Services held its annual St. Patrick’s Day lunch, it turned out to be last event the organization will be holding for some time.
The nonprofit agency announced last week it has canceled all activities at its five Fox Valley locations, including the one in Elgin, until further notice to help slow the spread of the CORVID-19, a novel strain of coronavirus that has become a pandemic.
As it turns out, Senior Services was ahead of the curve when it came to canceling activities. Just about every type of business and form of entertainment has been shut down or canceled in the past week and people are being encouraged to work from home, keep a distance of three to six feet from others and essentially stay home as much as possible.
All of it is contrary to one of Senior Services’ main missions — to counter social isolation by providing access to activities that promote social interaction and access to social services to benefit seniors’ mental and physical well-being.
“The feedback we’ve gotten is they are disappointed. They like their activities,” Senior Services Association Executive Director Micki Miller said. “But they understand why. If we can do this for a little while, hopefully, it will all settle down.”
Elgin Senior Services and similar agencies around the state have been closed at the direction of the Illinois Department on Aging, Miller said.
“Older adults are among the populations at the highest risk for becoming seriously ill from COVID-19,” said Michael Dropka, communications director, Illinois Department on Aging. “Locations where seniors gather, such as congregate meal sites and senior centers, may increase the risk of transmitting COVID-19 and community spreading of the virus.”
Meals will be provided for pick up but all activities that could be placing “our older adults at heightened risk, including the provision of congregate meals and social activities conducted in group settings,” must be put on hold, Dropka said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and take direction from the Illinois Department of Public Health. Our primary concern, as always, is the health, safety and welfare of our older population.”
What concerns people who work with seniors is the effect isolation will have if it’s for a prolonged period, Miller said.
“Seniors tend to hunker down as it is,” she said. Senior Services tries to alleviate that tendency to be solitary, she said.
“We find it’s very bad for their health to have them more socially isolated,” Miller said. “We want them to be very aware of their health conditions, especially someone with pre-existing conditions that make them more susceptible (to illness).
“We know how much our seniors rely upon us for socialization, meals, and healthy classes,” Miller said. “Yet, when it comes to public safety, making the choice to cancel our activities was the right decision. Our offices will remain open and fully staffed to handle questions, concerns and needs of our clients throughout this challenging time”.
Seniors who come to the center’s holiday parties and activities are often very active and will likely find things to do, Miller said. However, “the length of time seems to make a difference,” she said. A lack of sunlight, fresh area and socialization may result in depression, she said.
Senior Services’ will be open for phone calls should seniors need help or want to talk to someone one-on-one, she said. It also provides a “friendship line” for seniors to call if they are lonely or having trouble getting food or groceries, she said.
Miller, who has a master’s degree in psychology, recommends that families keep in touch with seniors through social media. Seniors today are very tech-savvy and able to text, Skype and use other digital platforms, she said.
If you want to help an older family member, friend or neighbor, send them a cheerful note of encouragement, offer to do a grocery run or drop off dinner at their doorstep, experts say. Maintaining social distancing, however, is important to keeping everyone healthy.
The key is to keep communication open, Dropka said. It’s important family members stay in touch and check on older family members, he said.
“We encourage healthy adults to find a creative way to communicate with older adults during this time and monitor their older family members, friends, and neighbors,” he said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
