The ripple effect of coronavirus on Mid-Missouri's senior population has been one of the quickest products of its already rapid spread.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises older adults, along with people of any age with serious underlying medical conditions, might be at a higher risk for severe illness if they were to contract COVID-19. Among this older population are individuals 65 or older and people who live in nursing homes or long-term care facilities. In California, facilities geared toward these populations are working to protect the community's seniors as best as possible.
Nursing homes in the community, such as Moniteau Care Center, began denying any medically unnecessary visits early on in the pandemic - a release from the nursing home said it "takes government recommendations designed to protect residents and staff seriously and is monitoring the situation closely."
At nearby Bristol Manor, administrator Charlene Smith said though residents and staff are doing their best to make do with what they have, it's easy for residents to get stir crazy since they are unable to leave.
"Of course, we have food and all that, but I think that's the main concern for them," Smith said. "They want to get out (and do things), but they can't."
For members of the community who don't live in any of the community's nursing homes, life is similarly affected. Congregate meals at the California Nutrition Center were suspended until further notice similarly early on in the pandemic timeline. Now, representatives with the Nutrition Center and its parent organization, Aging Best, are working to keep providing for their patrons while keeping them protected as COVID-19 continues to spread in the area.
"Things have been going well at the Nutrition Center," Center Administrator Kim Drummond said. "We are closed for our regular congregate program, but we've been offering the curbside meal service since March 16."
The Nutrition Center has kept the same serving time of 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on weekdays, but instead of having patrons come inside, they're essentially treated to a hot meal "drive-thru" - glove-wearing volunteers hand them a meal, including milk and bread to bring home, for a suggested $4 donation.
Drummond said many seniors are taking advantage of the offering. Last week, on March 26, the center served 50 seniors.
"Lots of people have called to offer their assistance, and each week, we've been featuring two people to help with the meals outside," Drummond said.
Last week, Gail Hughes and Kate Rollins were those community volunteers, and this week, it was Chelsea McGill and AnJanette Volkart. Drummond said members of the California Ministerial Alliance have reached out to offer their support as well.
The center is also working to keep in contact with patrons with daily "reassurance calls," Drummond said, even following up with individuals that might not have visited the Nutrition Center in a while.
"Every day, we're making as (many) calls as possible to talk with people and see how they're doing, to let them know we're here and what we can offer them," Drummond said.
These strategies extend across central and southern Missouri, to the 19 counties - including Moniteau County - served by Aging Best senior centers. Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Nowlin said the social isolation many seniors across the state may be feeling right now makes such efforts even more critically important.
"We're going on the end of the second business week that we've had to suspend our congregate meal program, and that was a really difficult and traumatic decision, (as were) the consequences of that decision," Nowlin said. "We know that. There are a lot of people who have fulfilling lives on their own, and their time at the senior center with their friends and other people from their community makes their life that much richer, but there's also people who rely on that time - that is their social network."
Nowlin said those reassurance calls also extend to gestures like sending cards and letters from everyone from loved ones to Aging Best volunteers' children. Nowlin said it's about keeping people connected as much as they can be.
Nowlin said seniors who have received this outreach have been grateful.
"They've called us back, they've sent us some notes expressing their gratitude for it," Nowlin said. "It's very touching."
Nowlin said encouraging these social connections is key - any kind of connection, while adhering to social distancing, of course.
Nowlin said there are plenty of other important actions seniors can take to cope during this time. One of them is to avoid television - Nowlin said it's important to know what's going on, but the bombardment of frightening information on TV can be dangerous. She encouraged engaging in hobbies to stay busy and thinking about reaching out to others who might be more lonely.
"I think it's really helpful when sometimes we can think outside of ourselves and think about how somebody else may need even a virtual hug," Nowlin said.
Nowlin said the most important coping mechanism is probably physical activity - staying active can make a big difference. There's a lot of misunderstanding around social distancing right now, she said, which is contributing to seniors wanting to venture outside less. Nowlin said there is no harm in getting some fresh air, as long as individuals adhere to the CDC's guidelines responsibly.
Aging Best has also been working to disseminate information to patrons about special shopping hours for senior citizens being offered at popular chain grocery stores, for example, and has plenty of additional information available for those with inquiries. Nowlin said the organization tries to help in any way it can, whether it be by helping to identify scams or assisting concerned family members to work with ombudsmen to investigate and mediate any perceived problems concerning loved ones in residential care.
"If people have any kind of questions about any of this, we're not necessarily experts on the pandemic, but we are experts in helping people who are aging - and people who are caring for people who are aging - to connect them with what they need," Nowlin said.
To learn more, call Aging Best at 800-369-5211.