{"id":33426,"date":"2020-07-16T16:59:29","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T20:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?p=33426"},"modified":"2020-07-16T21:39:18","modified_gmt":"2020-07-17T01:39:18","slug":"despite-building-closures-senior-centers-provide-food-delivery-and-virtual-activities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/07\/despite-building-closures-senior-centers-provide-food-delivery-and-virtual-activities\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite Building Closures, Senior Centers Provide Food Delivery And Virtual Activities"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_33427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33427\" style=\"width: 903px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-33427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2020\/07\/senior-centers-in-covid-hc.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"903\" height=\"666\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2020\/07\/senior-centers-in-covid-hc.jpg 903w, https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2020\/07\/senior-centers-in-covid-hc-300x221.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2020\/07\/senior-centers-in-covid-hc-768x566.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 903px) 100vw, 903px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33427\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Moreau Community Center, like other senior centers in the area, is keeping in close contact with its membership and conducting programs stressing safety.<br \/>Courtesy Moreau Senior Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>By Susan E. Campbell<br \/>\nThe high-risk elderly population has faced greater challenges than most other demographic groups during the coronavirus pandemic. But although their doors are temporarily closed, local senior citizens centers have made sure their members stay safe through outreach and by shifting programs into the digital realm.<br \/>\nAs the staff of the Greater Glens Falls Senior Center moved work to their homes, they made calls to the 1,100 members to assess needs, according to Executive Director Kim Bren. In some cases, a senior services specialist was called in to arrange rides, although with social distancing requirement the center\u2019s 12-person van could not transport more than one senior at a time.<br \/>\n\u201cMany members who didn\u2019t know exactly what we do are very appreciative and will be more active as we slowly get back to normal,\u201d said Bren. \u201cStaff has learned that talking to the members personally lets them hear different sides and opinions.\u201d<br \/>\nSaratoga Senior Center also did one-on-one phone calls to nearly 2,000 seniors who were either active members or who had recently not renewed memberships, according to Lois Celeste, executive director.<!--more--><br \/>\n\u201cOur first step was reassurance calls, then needs assessment,\u201d Celeste said. \u201cThis resulted in a list of several hundred we have been calling daily.\u201d There followed a second assessment call to anyone for whom the center had information and later, a third, she said.<br \/>\nCeleste had been running out of space at the center, where she has been for the past 11 years, as demand for programs and services rose before the virus drove everyone to self-quarantine.<br \/>\n\u201cBut that flipped on a dime when we learned we needed to shut down one of the area\u2019s busiest senior centers right away,\u201d she said.<br \/>\nEarly on, Moreau Community Center organized the delivery of face masks and hand sanitizer and stayed in touch with its base of active seniors, according to Executive director Donna Nichols.<br \/>\n\u201cWe are a community center and seniors are a part of our commitment,\u201d Nichols said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t close but both youth services and senior services were suspended.\u201d<br \/>\nAs a result, Nichols said she had to lay off Moreau\u2019s preschool director and senior director. Like her peers, she applied for and received a federal PPP loan.<br \/>\nMembers around the community have missed the social activities and association centers provide them. Some already have \u201cZoom fatigue,\u201d Celeste said.<br \/>\n\u201cThey want to come back,\u201d Nichols said. \u201cBut all in good time as we try to figure out how to reintroduce them safely.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cSocialization is critical for seniors,\u201d said Celeste. \u201cThey are isolated anyway, having lost a partner or their eyesight or their mobility &#8230; But our message is, stay home and stay safe.\u201d<br \/>\nWhen interviewed, half of the seniors around Saratoga County who responded told Celeste that they wanted to come back into the center, but many were unsure.<br \/>\nAll of the directors have the governmental green light to open their doors on a partial or trial basis and they are doing so according to CDC protocols and with a high degree of caution.<br \/>\n\u201cThe staff is coming in one or two at a time to conduct activities, but it will be slow getting back to normal,\u201d said Bren. \u201cWe want our members to feel safe while enjoying themselves, but if they don\u2019t feel ready to come in for crafts, for example, they can still participate virtually.\u201d<br \/>\nMoving activities to online chat sites has been successful. Anyone who needs help getting set up on apps are getting the needed training.<br \/>\nCeleste has done ongoing technology assessments and Nichols said her staff is using the internet to \u201chelp seniors stay smart and healthy in this unprecedented time.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cOur outreach is about gentle education, such as talking about using masks,\u201d said Nichols. \u201cWe have a very active Facebook page and are posting anything from public health information to town of Moreau services to stay connected.\u201d<br \/>\nBren said classes and events range from virtual exercises class to a book club and online cooking class.<br \/>\nSaratoga Senior Center typically brings in Skidmore seniors over the summer to assist with educational programs, and this summer is no different. They just conduct their classes virtually, Celeste said.<br \/>\nMost sources of funding for area senior centers have \u201cvirtually gone away,\u201d said Celeste. \u201cWe are not sitting pretty, but we are okay,\u201d said Nichols. \u201cPeople are generous. And our thrift store, which has an income stream, reopened July 6.\u201d<br \/>\nBren said much of their funding comes from the city of Glens Falls and Warren County Office for the Aging. She has taken advantage of her time at home to research different grants, and has secured financial support from the Tri-County United Way, the Charlie Woods Foundation, and a Stewart\u2019s Foundation fund dedicated to nonprofit organizations affected by COVID-19.<br \/>\nFundraisers for community and senior centers are planned throughout the summer and fall. To learn more, visit gfseniors.com, saratogaseniorcenter.org, and moreaucommunitycenter.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Susan E. Campbell The high-risk elderly population has faced greater challenges than most other demographic groups during the coronavirus pandemic. But although their doors are temporarily closed, local senior citizens centers have made sure their members stay safe through outreach and by shifting programs into the digital realm. As the staff of the Greater [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":33427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>Despite Building Closures, Senior Centers Provide Food Delivery And Virtual Activities - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/07\/despite-building-closures-senior-centers-provide-food-delivery-and-virtual-activities\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Despite Building Closures, Senior Centers Provide Food Delivery And Virtual Activities - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Susan E. Campbell The high-risk elderly population has faced greater challenges than most other demographic groups during the coronavirus pandemic. But although their doors are temporarily closed, local senior citizens centers have made sure their members stay safe through outreach and by shifting programs into the digital realm. 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