Stay Home, Stay Safe, Stay Connected
How are you doing? I mean, really, how are you doing? I hope you are well and have been untouched by coronavirus, except that we’ve all been touched in one way or another by this pandemic.
If you’ve lost a friend or loved one to the disease, my heart goes out to you. If you have experienced the disease and recovered, I admire your fortitude. If you are caring for someone with coronavirus or any chronic condition that incapacitates, I hope you find the strength to carry on. Family caregivers are incredibly important to the health and well-being of our communities.
If, like most of us, you have self-quarantined as recommended by public health experts as well as Governor Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, you’re probably longing for human interaction. It’s difficult not to see extended family and friends but critically important to keep your distance from anyone who is not part of your immediate household. Even as businesses open up, we must remain diligent in our efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease.
Please take time to read the articles about ways you can stay connected with others in this issue of AgeWise as well as recent issues. Try to pick up the phone and call someone else, if you can, or explore how you can use technology to connect with loved ones. Online meetings with family or friends using video-conferencing platforms like Facetime, Skype, and Zoom are not difficult and can be fun.
Most older people I know are incredibly resilient and managing reasonably well, but if you or someone you know is not, please do not hesitate to call Community Living Connections (toll-free 844-348-5464). Community Living Connections is both a call center and a network of human service provider agencies that receive support from Aging and Disability Services so that you have a place to call if you have aging or disability related issues. The advocates who answer the phone lines are highly trained. Your call is confidential. And your call, consultation, and referrals are free of charge.
Stay home and stay safe—and keep moving and stay as connected as you can under the circumstances. Most of all, please know that help is available if you need it.
Contributor Ava Frisinger chairs the Seattle-King County Advisory Council on Aging & Disability Services, which publishes AgeWise King County. She welcomes input from readers via e-mail (advisorychair@agewisekingcounty.org) as well as applicants for open positions on the council. For more information, visit www.agingkingcounty.org/advisory-council.
Mark Your Calendars
Following are some of the virtual events (online or phone meetings) that ADS Advisory Council members are interested in attending:
- Close to Home: Stories of Health, Tech and Resilience: Thursdays, June 4, 11, and 25 (10:30 a.m.) online only. To receive a link to join the event, e-mail Lenny.Orlov@seattle.gov.
- ADS Advisory Council: Friday, June 12 (12–2 p.m.) online only. To receive a link to join the meeting, e-mail Sariga.Santhosh@seattle.gov in advance.
- Age Friendly Seattle Civic Coffee Hour: Thursday, June 18 (10:30–11:30 a.m.) online only. To receive a link to join the coffee hour, e-mail Lenny.Orlov@seattle.gov.
- Mayor’s Council on African American Elders: Friday, June 19 (2:00–3:30 p.m.) online only. To receive a link to join the meeting, e-mail Karen.Winston@seattle.gov in advance.
For more local Aging Network events, click here.