News
New Report Details How #AAAsAtWork Are Helping Older Adults During COVID-19
- By: USAging
- On: 07/10/2020 11:00:43
- In: Hot Topics in Aging
n4a's latest publication, #AAAsAtWork for Older Adults: A Snapshot of Area Agency on Aging Responses to COVID-19, details how our AAA members have risen to the challenge of COVID-19, meeting it with leadership, swift action, flexibility and more—and with the needs of older adults and caregivers they serve at the very forefront. The report also queues up emerging concerns of AAA directors as the pandemic moves into its fifth month.
Nearly all (93 percent) of AAAs told us that they were serving more—often many more—older adults than before COVID-19, while more than two-thirds (69 percent) saw an increased need for their services among existing clients as well. To address this increased need, AAAs have had to pivot programs, adapt service delivery, deploy staff and volunteers in new ways, and stand-up wholly new efforts in a very short period of time.
Although there was little time in the beginning to compare notes with peers, AAAs across the country did share many common solutions, including expanding home-delivered meals, using grab-and-go grocery and meal sites, ramping up telephone reassurance and wellness check efforts, and ensuring that their older adult clients had what they needed to stay safe at home. Now assisted by emergency funding from Congress, AAAs and their state and community partners have continued to meet the escalated level of need in their communities but will require additional resources and guidance over time.
Did you miss yesterday's webinar? Watch it here. Read more in #AAAsAtWork.