SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – As we approach the holiday season, let’s all be thankful for the availability for everyone to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. To help and remind us to follow through and complete our vaccines, the Vermont Association of Area Agencies on Aging has put the combined CDC money they have received through the Vermont Department of Aging and Independent Living to engage an experienced marketing firm to develop and launch a statewide campaign to honor, congratulate, and encourage aging Vermonters to complete their vaccination treatments.
The vaccine is free, safe, and effective. Now we are getting the boosters, and soon children 5 and older will be able to get the vaccine. Our older Vermonters led the charge and helped us all achieve a much safer environment by stepping up and taking their vaccines in record numbers. We all need reminders at times not to be complacent and to complete these important doses.
You may have already seen some of the ads or received the flyer in the mail. Please call the Vermont Department of Health at 1-855-722-7878 to set up your next appointment.
Thank you for acting responsibly and helping to protect our families, friends, and neighbors!
Caregiver Respite Volunteer Program
As our Volunteer Visitor program manager continues to identify needs and works to fill the voids in services, her team has been busy connecting with potential community partners. They are creating education programs, training manuals, and resources to help our volunteers be able to work with families who are caring 24/7 for loved ones at home.
Our volunteers are not home healthcare workers, but they can stay with the loved one for a period of two to four hours, which gives the family caregivers a break to take care of themselves. This way the caregiver does not have to worry about the safety of their relative.
Depending on the diagnosis, our volunteers will be educated in ways to communicate and exactly what the loved one likes and does not like. Families will talk with the volunteer at an initial meeting that we facilitate. The program will help caregivers of dementia and other disabling diseases get out and reconnect with friends and their communities.
The Memory Cafés will be safe and welcoming environments that caregivers can bring their family members who are suffering with dementia. The caregiver support groups are another piece of the puzzle where the caregivers can meet with others and share experiences and learn about resources.
For more information, go to www.okemovalley.tv/senior-solutions-giving-family-care-givers-respite.
National Council on Aging Benefits Enrollment Center grant
Thanks to the renewal of our grant, Senior Solutions will be reaching out more effectively and serving our communities better. Our NCOA BEC outreach specialist Tracy will be available on a rotating schedule at our area senior centers. You will be able to talk with her, make an appointment, and learn about the many programs available to help Medicare participants save money on prescriptions, utilities, and much more. So, call your local senior center and find out when she will be in your community.
Please remember to call our Help Line at 1-802-885-2669 or toll-free at 1-866-673-8376 with any questions you have including and not limited to Choices for Care, 3Squares, Fuel Assistance, and of course, Medicare Open Enrollment which runs until Dec. 7.
Thank you and remember to stay safe and wear your mask as needed.