LYNNFIELD — Loneliness brought on by prolonged isolation is a major risk for seniors, and the Senior Center on Salem Street is working to combat those risks as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Center Director Linda Naccara said the staff and instructors were able to quickly pivot to offering classes and activities online when the center shut down in March.
Seniors can access more than 100 programs online, including Pilates, Zumba, yoga and a photo club.
Some instructors are posting videos of their classes, while other staff members are live-streaming activities such as “lunch bunch,” coffee time, bingo and book club through Zoom.
“We’re getting a good response and we’re really trying hard to keep the seniors engaged,” said Naccara. “The longer this goes on, loneliness is a huge issue, especially for so many of the seniors who are living alone. They might have families stop in, but it’s not the same.”
She said seniors have told her that they didn’t know how much they would miss the senior center until it wasn’t an option for them to go to anymore.
“The elderly, it’s special. (Some of them) don’t have a lot of other alternatives in their lives, so the senior center is really a lifeline for many,” said Naccara.
Seniors are one of the groups most at-risk for severe COVID-19 illness, but the need to physically distance from others to prevent becoming infected has made it difficult for seniors to stay connected during the pandemic, according to a Johns Hopkins Medicine report.
Dr. Alicia Arbaje, who specializes in internal medicine and geriatrics at Johns Hopkins, wrote in her report that there are ways for seniors to practice physical distancing that don’t result in isolation.
She recommends the use of technology, such as calling friends and family, video chatting, and getting involved with projects and activities.
While Naccara said virtual programming has been a success in Lynnfield, she acknowledges that some seniors don’t have access to the internet at home, and are therefore isolated from the online interaction.
For those older adults, the center staff has been physically trying to get to their homes to combat the potential loneliness brought on by the pandemic-induced closures.
The outreach has included traveling to seniors’ homes with “goodie bags” and visiting. Staff also makes wellness calls every day to elders in town to check in on them and see if they need help with anything, Naccara said.
For seniors who need to get out of their homes, the center has started up its van rides, which takes people on leisure rides around the area.
Socialization and providing meals to elders has been crucial, said Naccara, explaining that the senior center operates a “grab and go” lunch program three days a week.
Seniors are able to drive up to the center on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays to pick up a fully-cooked meal.
Families have also stepped up to provide groceries for their parents and grandparents, but some would rather not cook on their own, Naccara said.
“(One) woman said recently she doesn’t take the time to cook like that, so it’s been helpful to have nutritional meals available,” said Naccara. “We’re just really putting all of our efforts into staying connected with our most vulnerable.”
