COVID-19 Update

Hello, COA community! First, we want to express our appreciation for your willingness to hear from us more frequently during the last six months. We hope the information we've shared has been valuable to you personally and professionally. Second, we want to let you know this will be our last bi-weekly newsletter. After today, we will send it on a monthly basis. Expect our next edition to hit your inbox the week of October 12. If circumstances change, we may decide to publish more frequently again, or if there's important news you should know about right away, we'll be sure to send you a quick update.

COA welcomes Hamilton BBQ restaurant to comfort meals program Since April, Council on Aging has partnered with local restaurants to provide more than 27,000 meals to area older adults living in low-income senior apartment buildings. In July, we expanded this comfort meals program to include local minority-owned restaurants. Neal's Famous BBQ in Hamilton is the latest minority-owned restaurant to join the program. We spoke with owner Mike Neal to discover what being part of the program means to him. Click here for the story.

COA mails wellness kits to area seniors We have partnered with the Ohio Department of Aging to distribute COVID-19 wellness kits to about 10,000 seniors in our region. Each kit contains masks, hand sanitizer and education materials about COA and Pro Seniors. Kits were mailed last week and are arriving on seniors' doorsteps now!

OSU Extension offering free online cooking magazine In the early days of the COVID pandemic, stay-at-home orders and closed restaurants led to a renaissance of sorts of cooking at home. As a result, Ohio State University Extension began offering Seasoned, a free online cooking magazine for older adults. You will find recipes, kitchen tricks, exercises, and fun games about food, nutrition, food safety, and health. Click here to access 10 past issues of the magazine.

Miami U study still seeking caregiving families Do you provide help to an older family member? Or, are you an older adult who needs some help from family members? If so, you’re part of a caregiving family. Providing and accepting help can be tough in the best of times, but it’s even more challenging now. Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University is looking for caregiving families to help test an online communication and care coordination resource designed to help families talk and make decisions about caregiving. For more information about the study, visit this page. To participate in the study contact Abby Helsinger at ofow@MiamiOH.edu or (513) 529-3880.

Local, state and national pandemic-related news Ohio Coronavirus wastewater monitoring network launched in Ohio Evictions are halted. Here's what you need to know. Google is releasing data on how people have been searching for COVID-19 symptoms, in the hope it will help researchers track the virus  Danger: Watch out for these COVID-19 scams A COVID-19 vaccine may be only 50% effective. Is that good enough? Nursing home visit status in every state

Are you registered to vote? The general election will be here before we know it (November 3), and even sooner are two key dates for voting in Ohio. If you are not already registered to vote, the deadline to do so is October 5. Absentee and early in-person voting begins October 6. COA has a voters' guide containing information that will help you understand how to register and how to vote, located here.

Celebrate Falls Prevention Awareness Week! September 21-25 is Falls Prevention Awareness Week in Ohio. To celebrate, the Ohio Department of Aging, through its STEADY U Ohio falls prevention initiative, challenges you to take 10 BIG Steps to Prevent Falls. Each day during the week, the department and its falls prevention partners will host a free, web-based learning opportunity on a different aspect of falls prevention. Each learning opportunity will be paired with a personal challenge or other activity to apply the lessons learned to your home, health, and habits. Done together, these learning opportunities and personal activities make up the 10 BIG Steps to Prevent Falls. Learn more here.

Online education opportunities Don't miss the Greater Cincinnati Care Partners virtual panel tomorrow, September 16. Lisa Kruse from COA is the keynote speaker. The event flyer has more details. Please register in advance, here. The Alzheimer's Association offers free, virtual educational courses on subjects from the warning signs of Alzheimer's to living with the disease, for both caregivers and those with Alzheimer's. A full list of courses and registration are here.

Last chance to complete our tech survey! Now is your last chance to help us understand how older adults use technology. The data we collect in our technology survey will help us as we develop new programs. Take the survey here.

COVID-19 and senior health and wellness

Learn more below about issues related to older adults and the pandemic.   How to wear a face mask without fogging your glasses National Institute on Aging: Why COVID-19 testing is the key to getting back to normal September is National Senior Center Month: The ripple effect of senior centers Restarting home health aide services during the pandemic VA expands aid to cover Vietnam vets' caregivers  Why Black aging matters, too 5 top concerns for senior living this fall Is extended isolation killing older adults in long-term care? Hospitals, nursing homes fail to separate COVID patients, putting others at risk How to care for older adults during a pandemic How the aging immune system makes older people vulnerable to COVID-19 Elderly, ill and Black in a pandemic Sanitizer science: What works and what to avoid It's the worst disaster of the pandemic. But WHO chief says our lack of concern shows 'moral bankruptcy' Still wiping down your grocery store purchases? Coronavirus risk is 'exceedingly small,' experts say

COVID-19 resources from COA

Resources for seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic Our website has updated information and resources for those who need help during this difficult time: Food pantry list Instructions for online grocery ordering and links to grocers List of stores with dedicated shopping hours for seniors and others at risk Ideas for staying busy and engaged while at home Caring for someone with COVID-19 at home Mental health resources Avoiding Coronavirus scams Explaining Coronavirus to your children or grandchildren Clinton County COVID-19 Information Guide Resources for congregate settings

Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio (COA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing quality of life for older adults, people with disabilities, their families and caregivers. We promote choice, independence, dignity and well-being through a range of services that help people remain in their homes for as long as possible.

Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio | Visit us today!

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