If you or someone you want to help sign up for Medicare are seeing this, you will want to sign up for one of the upcoming free scheduled Zoom Medicare classes. Call (802) 885-2669 or Toll Free (866) 673-8376 so you can provide your email address to receive the link so you can join the online Zoom class. They are being held on May 13 at 10 a.m., June 10 at 2 p.m., and on July 15 at 11 a.m. Call now to reserve your virtual seat. Our information is totally neutral. We do not offer any insurance ourselves but want to make you all educated consumers.
Check out our Spring Benefit Silent Auction. The access button to the online auction is on our website homepage at seniorsolutionsvt.org where you will find many great local items and services to bid on. Proceeds to benefit our Volunteer Visitor Programs. The bidding ends on April 30, so don’t miss out! Many thanks to the generous donations by local businesses and crafters.
The Moore Free Library in Newfane held its Community Memory Partners Meeting on the 15th of April. Plans were discussed for the next training session for the Oral History Project which will commence in September/October, 2021. The current session ends in August. For more information on this program go to communitymemory.moorefreelibrary.org. To become a part of this project contact Erica Walch, Director at (802) 365-7948 or go to moorefreelibrary.org.
Because of the COVID-19 social restrictions, many of us are feeling the loss of social gatherings. Sometimes we feel it is not worth getting dressed because we don’t go anywhere. Even some who work from home get a bit stir crazy from seeing the same walls and furniture every day. It gives us all an insight into the lives of many of our older Vermonters whose access to friends and relatives and community functions are restricted because of health and mobility issues. Happily, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for many of us. We are lucky because all we needed was the vaccine and careful social distancing to regain our contact with our community. If it were only that easy for many others.
We have wonderful volunteers who can’t wait to stop by and visit with their partners. As we carefully move back to seeing each other in person, volunteers can still keep in touch by phone and other devices. We received some COVID funds to help us purchase tablets and laptops that we can lend to clients that will help them communicate with loved ones and with their doctors. Too many of us have difficulty without proper WIFI or cell service. We are working to help overcome these barriers.
A more subtle and difficult situation arises for various reasons when someone is exhibiting symptoms of Self-Neglect. With COVID-19 it became almost impossible to detect. In the past these situations were reported to Adult Protective Services (APS). Now the state has mandated that they be investigated by the area agencies on aging (V4As) like Senior Solutions, in Windham and Windsor Counties. We are uniquely well poised for this task. Our mission is to enable older adults to live in the home of their choice in dignity and good health. The many benefits our case managers can assist connecting adults with are extremely helpful in securing adequate nutrition, fuel, medical care, wellness programs and money saving benefits through the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and the Older Americans Act.
Often without good nutrition we suffer physical and mental health issues. Even dehydration can cause loss of mental acuity and physical impairment. If we live alone we may not notice our own decline. We may think it is just a normal part of aging. When you add social isolation or physical isolation the conditions are accelerated. Put all this together and we have the potential for some older Vermonters to suffer from mild mental disabilities and also we have the ideal conditions for individuals to develop symptoms of self-neglect.
People have a statutory right in Vermont to live any way they choose. Others may not find it acceptable but that does not matter. So long as the individual is mentally capable they can live without a kitchen, running water, heat, or in a hoarding situation. With respect and gentle kindness in a non-judgmental way these individuals can often be helped find resources to take better care of themselves. We will never know the trauma or emotional issues that cause self-neglect but we can care for the person who is in that condition. Even if they don’t change their living conditions, at least they know that someone cares about them.
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