Each day, as the numbers of those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic escalate, one thing is clear: no matter where they live, the elderly face the highest risk.<\/p>\n
Older adults have been instructed to limit face-to-face interactions with individuals outside their immediate household to protect themselves from COVID-19. COVID-19 has forced many family members to end visits to parents and grandparents or stop visiting older loved ones at nursing homes and assisted living facilities.<\/p>\n
The implementation of physical distancing is an essential step in reducing the transmission of the virus. Physical distancing may be causing social isolation and loneliness. Although loneliness and social isolation can affect anyone regardless of age, the elderly are particularly vulnerable, especially under the current conditions of the pandemic.<\/p>\n
For those who attend the\u00a0South End Wellness Senior Center (SEWSC)<\/a>\u00a0in Hartford, CT, their regular schedule of attending the center for socialization and activities such as Tai Chi, fitness, sewing, and jewelry classes, and various presentations abruptly came to an end when the facility had to shut down due to the pandemic. The SEWSC serves over 60 seniors a day and prepares lunch daily for to 25 – 35 seniors following the Elder Nutrition Program.<\/p>\n Recognizing that these seniors would be negatively affected by this change, Petra Clark-Dufner, Associate Director, CT AHEC Program jumped into action to work with Francis Sadowski, Director of SEWSC and Liany Arroya, Director of Hartford\u2019s Department of Health and Human Services, to pilot the Geriatric Surveillance Program through the Urban Service Track\/AHEC Scholars Program.<\/p>\n The Urban Service Track\/AHEC Scholars Program<\/a>\u00a0located at\u00a0UConn Health<\/a> is designed to produce a cadre of well-qualified health care professionals through prevention and primary care in Connecticut’s urban underserved communities. As Urban Health\/AHEC Scholars, participants represent a select group of students enrolled in the UConn Schools of Pharmacy, Nursing, Medicine, Dental Medicine, Social Work, and Quinnipiac University’s Physician Assistant (PA) Program.<\/p>\n \u201cThe AHEC Program has worked with the SEWSC for over a decade and the team is like family to us,\u201d says Bruce Gould, MD Associate Dean for Primary Care and Director of CT AHEC.<\/p>\n The Geriatric Surveillance program included 65 student volunteers from the UConn School of Medicine and Quinnipiac University PA program who reached 130 seniors over 500 phone calls. The calls followed a prompt that checked COVID-19 symptoms and contact with those who may have been infected. There was also an assessment for basic needs and 25 seniors were provided resources through 211 of CT. Supporting the students was a dedicated pool of preceptors available to answer COVID-19 questions and concerns.<\/p>\n For members of the Senior Center, David, Inilda, Sue, and Catherine, the calls were a blessing.<\/p>\n David, who misses his Tai Chi classes at the center appreciated the calls he received. \u201cJust the call is a simple thing, but makes a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n He enjoyed speaking with Christian, and as a retired physical therapist, he was able to give Christian some advice about what to expect in the medical field.<\/p>\n Inilda teaches the jewelry classes and is an active member of SEWSC Advisory Board. While her family visited a few times a week, she found that being in the house all the time she was feeling lonely and depressed and the calls helped make her feel connected.<\/p>\n \u201cI miss my center so much,\u201d says Inilda. \u201cI looked forward to the calls, it was a nice experience. She helped answer questions about COVID and made sure that if I was going out I was protected and followed protocols.\u201d<\/p>\n Sue has someone who takes her shopping and her children visit, however, she thought that it was helpful that the students were checking in on them as well.<\/p>\n \u201cI enjoyed speaking to Tiffani, and learning about her as a potential doctor, says Catherine. \u201cShe always called back when she said she would, it was so nice.\u201d<\/p>\n Health professions students Tiffani-Amber Miller (UConn), Elena Navedo (UConn), Alexandra Holmes (Quinnipiac), and Apoorva Sajan (Quinnipiac) all agreed they needed to find a way to give back during the pandemic and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.<\/p>\n Navedo, who is bi-lingual was assigned a group of five Spanish speaking seniors. \u201cThere is a large number of Spanish speaking seniors and it is important when they receive these calls that they feel as comfortable as possible, by speaking with them in their native language,\u201d says Navedo.<\/p>\n Miller was home in Florida and was able to make her calls from there. Catherine was part of her group and it was a pleasure to learn more about her and connect during their conversations.<\/p>\n \u201cReaching out to this population is so important as they are not only at risk, but it\u2019s really important that they have someone to talk to,\u201d says Miller.<\/p>\n