Office for the Aging Responds to the Needs of Older Adults
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect communities, Livingston County would like to highlight how it has helped to improve the lives and livelihoods of one of its most vulnerable populations – older adults – by dramatically increasing access to services and in-home support.
“Throughout the pandemic, we have made major changes to the way we operate in order to best serve our most vulnerable populations,” said Livingston County Office for the Aging Director Sue Carlock. “Our office has responded to the needs of older adults with food, masks, sanitizer, educational information, and additional items to make isolation more bearable.”
Carlock continued, “From 2019 to 2020, we noticed a dramatic increase in the demand for home-delivered meals among our older adult population, as they often stayed home to reduce their risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus. In pre-pandemic 2019, we delivered 46,182 meals. Compare that with 2020, when we delivered 72,145 meals to older adults throughout the county due to pandemic-related need. We instituted changes for safe delivery and never missed a single delivery day thanks to our dedicated staff and volunteers. We’re proud of the work we’ve done to fight this pandemic and will continue working hard to meet the needs of our residents during this challenging time.”
Carlock added that with the development of COVID-19 vaccines, the Office for the Aging worked closely with the County’s Health Department to provide accurate information to older adults about the vaccines, schedule more than 1,000 older adults for vaccinations and second dose appointments, and even arrange transportation to appointments, if needed.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Livingston County has strengthened communities by investing in small businesses and nonprofits, vaccine distribution, public health and safety, human services – especially for those suffering from domestic violence, mental illnesses and substance use disorders – and much-needed infrastructure, including broadband.
“We continue to work closely with local and federal partners to do our part in ending this pandemic,” said Livingston County Administrator Ian M. Coyle. “I commend the efforts of our health and wellness professionals and am truly in awe of their commitment to serving our communities.”
America’s counties are on the front lines of the nation’s response to this public health and economic crisis, operating over 1,900 public health departments throughout the country.
