Wednesday, September 16, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Of a certain age
Services for seniors more critical than ever
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
The population of Sisters
Country is aging 4 and the
challenges of aging are exac-
erbated by the coronavirus
pandemic.
Seniors who might be
facing a higher degree of
isolation due to lack of
transportation or connec-
tion are even more inhibited
by the need to stay socially
distanced.
Central Oregon Council
On Aging (COCOA) has
worked to bring Sisters
seniors out of isolation with
senior lunches at Sisters
Community Church. Those
activities have been curtailed
4 but the organization has
pivoted to keep connecting
seniors with services and
social interaction.
COCOA Communications
Director Denise Labuda
noted that the organization
is specifically designated
to assist struggling seniors
4 those who don9t have the
resources and wherewithal to
access the services they need.
They serve as a primary
point of contact for seniors
and their families to work
through issues with hous-
ing, food access, in-home
care, medical assistance,
transportation and help for
caregivers.
<We have a variety of ser-
vices we can connect people
to and in some cases pay for
4 but we are not the pro-
vider of those services,= she
said.
COCOA is noted for its
lunch program in Sisters,
which switched over to a
to-go model in order to main-
tain COVID-19-safe proto-
cols. Labuda noted that they
are actually serving three
times more people than they
were with their sit-down din-
ing. The service is offered at
Sisters Community Church
from noon to 12:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday.
...we believe we’re going to see more
with isolation and loneliness…
We’re trying to get ahead of what we think
is going to be a hard winter for seniors.
— Denise Labuda
<I9d say we9re feeding
about 70 people in Sisters
right now,= Labuda said.
Maintaining that social
connection is critical to the
mental, emotional, and ulti-
mately physical well-being
of the seniors COCOA
serves, and Labuda and the
rest of the staff are acutely
aware that more challenges
await as Sisters Country
slides into winter.
She said the program may
move to a delivery model
when weather makes it dicey
for seniors to be on the roads.
COCOA also connects
seniors to Meals-on-Wheels
delivery.
<Meals-on-Wheels driv-
ers no longer go into the
home to drop off the food or
sit down to have a conversa-
tion,= Labuda said.
However, she said, they9ll
still talk outside, and <we are
also dedicating staff to call
them once a week.=
Labuda said that COCOA
is also developing a volun-
teer-based calling program
to offer seniors some connec-
tion during the cold months,
when isolation is expected
to increase. Labuda told
The Nugget that food inse-
curity is the biggest issue
for seniors in Sisters, <and
we believe we9re going to
see more with isolation and
loneliness... We9re trying to
get ahead of what we think is
going to be a hard winter for
seniors.=
Individual seniors are
only part of the picture when
it comes to caring for the
elderly population. Their
families play a big role too.
Labuda said that COCOA
helps families come up with
a plan for loved ones as their
needs change 4 needs for
housing, food, medical care
and more.
And for family members
who are carrying the load
of care, the organization can
connect them with respite
care services.
COCOA offers Medicare
counseling, and the sea-
son for that service is fast
approaching.
< We 9 l l s t a r t t a k i n g
appointment requests
on October 1,= Labuda
said. <This year will be
phone only, again because
of COVID-19 safety
concerns.=
COCOA is open Monday
through Friday, 8 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. Volunteer inquiries
are welcome.
Labuda wants families in
Sisters to know that, what-
ever their need, Central
Oregon Council on Aging
should be their first point of
call, making it easier to navi-
gate through the range of ser-
vices available to ensure and
enhance quality of life for
Sisters9 seniors.
19
Nutrition
essential
for health
By Jodi Schneider
Correspondent
When you9re enjoying a
great slice of pizza, you9re
probably not thinking about
the vitamins, minerals, and
other nutrition it provides:
the lycopene in the tomato
sauce, iron in the meat, cal-
cium in the cheese. Or the
carbs, fat, and protein that
help your body run.
Basically, your diet is like
your medicine cabinet. Every
time you reach for an apple,
chips, or peanut butter, it9s
like taking a drug that9s pro-
moting health or hurting it.
Eating a well-balanced
diet is an important part of
remaining healthy as you
age. It can help you maintain
a healthy weight, stay ener-
gized, and get the nutrients
you need.
Nutrition has a huge
impact on the physical health
and well-being of older
adults. Many people may not
realize that nutrition needs
vary depending on a person9s
age. Just like toddlers have
different dietary needs than
teenagers, nutritional needs
for older folks are different
See NUTRITION on page 25