Medically tailored groceries are just one of the more creative methods advocates are using to get food to the most vulnerable Californians, including those who are disabled or elderly.
With federal delays in dispersing SNAP benefits in November and other looming changes, people who work on the front lines of food access say this creativity is essential; it’s an all-hands-on-deck situation.
As a rehabilitation clinician and director working directly with older adults, I see how effective early mobility support can be. Mild losses in leg strength or balance respond well to structured, simple routines when they are addressed early. The greatest need is access.
Several programs across California demonstrate how this access can be expanded.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the value of multiple generations sharing living spaces. However, people living in multi-generational households also have increased risk of infections.
These risks can be reduced with preventative health measures, experts say.
Most older adults want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. To do that, many eventually need assistance with routine and personal care.
But 40 percent of older adults and adults with disabilities in California who need help to stay in their homes report receiving either no help at all or not enough.
Hospice care provides physical, mental and spiritual care and comfort for a person with a life expectancy of six months or less.
But fraudulent enrollment in hospice can be life-threatening. Because hospice is for people expected to die, beneficiaries lose access to curative treatment, including medicines, medical equipment and their regular doctors.
Native American seniors are much less likely than other racial and ethnic groups to receive hospice and palliative care, but a new partnership between a Capay Valley tribe in Yolo County and a local hospice provider seeks to change that.
Yolo Hospice is working with Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation to research the challenges that Native American communities face when trying to obtain and plan for end-of-life care.
Since people of color are contracting coronavirus at disproportionately high rates, experts say it’s crucial for them to get inoculated to stop the spread. That’s especially the case for seniors of color, a group that’s even more vulnerable to developing serious complications from COVID-19 infections.
Offering vaccines in a variety of settings, enlisting trusted community groups to conduct outreach, and launching culturally-relevant public education campaigns can boost vaccine rates.
When done right, hospice care can provide immense comfort to terminally ill patients and their families. But fraud, malpractice, unchecked growth, and lack of effective oversight from the state and federal authorities threaten the wellbeing of California’s hospice patients.
Seniors from all walks of life fall victim to these fraudulent practices, but those with limited English proficiency are especially vulnerable.
Here are a few solutions.
The holiday season is further adding to social isolation and feelings of loneliness many seniors have experienced during COVID-19. Many won’t be able to celebrate the holidays with loved ones and some have lost spouses or other family members to the virus.
The Social Bridging Project and other organizations that serve the elderly are ramping up efforts to reach vulnerable seniors living alone. Solutions include meal deliveries, phone check-ins and crisis hotlines.
Advocates who work with seniors are bracing for a new wave of scams related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Already, California Senior Medicare Patrol, which helps Medicare beneficiaries avoid fraud, has received reports of several new scams. Fraudsters have visited residents in senior housing offering them “opportunities” for COVID-19 testing in exchange for their Medicare number. Con artists posing as Medicare officials have called seniors and promised them a (non-existent) COVID-19 vaccine.