After completing numerous program cancelations and adjusting to becoming a ‘Virtual Center'  our team focused on creatively finding new ways to help retirees live well in retirement through virtual lifelong learning, engagement, and connections.

With so much information about COVID-19 in the news we decided not to add to the ‘noise’ but rather create a ‘center’ for updated information and resources. And so, the Keeping Connected section of our website began. We’ve kept to our biweekly newsletter schedule, the CenterExpress, where we launched Keeping Connected and provide updates of interesting additions to content in subsequent editions:

Keeping Connected

95^th Birthday in COVID Time

On April 7, 2020, my mother turned 95 years old. She is sentient and physically able. My family, which includes grandchildren living in South Carolina and Minnesota (we live in Baltimore) had an elegant dinner planned to take place in a Baltimore restaurant. I had ordered fortune cookies with a message celebrating her birthday, and all the airplane reservations had been made. And then this.

We did a family birthday greeting on Zoom. My mother’s computer didn’t have a camera so two of her grandchildren got her a tablet and set it up, and she was able to practice with the support and encouragement of her oldest grandson.

There were almost 20 of us on the chat, and she was happy, she didn’t feel that her birthday was quite so empty.

Tracy Miller, Towson University TURFA (Towson University Retired Faculty Association) President, 2019-2020, tmiller@towson.edu

A USC Retirement Story During the COVID-19 Pandemic

When I first retired as Associate Provost at USC in 2008, Dr. Janette C. Brown kindly offered me an opportunity to direct the USC Emeriti College.  One of my first adventures was to become a VP of AROHE, which I enjoyed.

One of the programs I created for the Emeriti College was a USC Book Club for retirees.  Our group met on Zoom for the first time recently.  Now I host Retired Faculty Association Board meetings on Zoom, and I attend Academic Senate meetings on Zoom.

My wife, Lora, and I are spending two or three hours daily on Skype reading with our four grandchildren who live near Philadelphia.  We maintain a chain of Text Messages to stay in touch with extended family around the country, and we are calling elderly lady friends who don’t use modern media. Recently I signed up to try voice coaching on Zoom with the assistant director of my chorus. 

In this exceptional time, we even celebrated Easter on Zoom with 11 family members and friends. For exercise, we wear our face masks (required in LA) and walk daily for a mile or two up neighboring hills.  We are busy, happy and well; and we hope you are, too.

Jerome B. Walker, President, Retired Faculty Association, University of Southern California, jbwalker@usc.edu

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Cornell Crisis Wisdom Advice Project

Many older people at this time would like to help others, but have difficulty doing so in isolation. There is one powerful thing they can contribute now, and from home: their wisdom on living through a crisis. To that end, we have expanded the Cornell Legacy Project to include the Cornell Crisis Advice Project. We have opened this website to collect and share the older adult’s advice and lessons about living through a crisis. People who have lived through periods like as the Great Depression, World War II, or the Jim Crow era, figured out ways to survive and even thrive. For all these older adults, a crisis challenged them to become resourceful about finding resources and providing for loved ones.

We are offering this opportunity for engagement by older adults and encourage them to share their advice and lessons on the Cornell Crisis Advice Project website. We also encourage younger people to interview older people and share what they learned. Some youth groups are adopting this idea as a project that can be conducted from home. Audio and video recordings can be uploaded. We hope it will be a valuable resource. Please feel free to contact the project coordinator, Leslie Schultz, ls30@cornell.edu, with any questions.

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6 questions to ask yourself daily for a healthier quarantine mindset

Daily Quarantine Questions

• 1.      What am I Grateful for today?
• 2.      Who am I CHECKING IN ON or CONNECTING WITH today?
• 3.      What expectations of “normal” am I LETTING GO OF today?
• 4.      How am I GETTING OUTSIDE today?
• 5.      How am I MOVING MY BODY today?
• 6.      What BEAUTY am I either creating, cultivating, or inviting in today?

To learn more, go to https://tinyurl.com/vwslfr4.

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COVID-19: Mental health and well-being for ourselves and our children

The intense social isolation, stress and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 is shaping up to be its own mental health pandemic. Already, spikes in post-traumatic stress disorder are being documented among vulnerable populations, health workers and other front-line personnel.

In the latest in a series of Berkeley Conversations: COVID-19 live webcasts, UC Berkeley psychologists Dacher Keltner, Sonia Bishop and Frank Worrell offered advice on how to tackle COVID-19 stress, based on their specific areas of research, mental health data and proven therapeutic interventions. To read further, go to https://tinyurl.com/yacg6r2n

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Four Things to Do Every Day for Your Mental Health

It’s a crazy time. We are sheltering-in-place, leaving the house only for essentials like groceries and medical care. And while we’re all (appropriately) focused on caring for the physical health of ourselves, our families, our communities, and society at large, our mental, emotional, and social health needs are quickly emerging as profoundly important, as well. To read more, go to https://tinyurl.com/ya5fejl9.

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5 social apps to keep you sane as you shelter in place

The concept of the home as sanctuary has taken on a whole new meaning, posing an age-old question: Can something truly be enjoyed when it’s mandatory? While some of us might actually love staying indoors — cooking, cleaning or reorganizing every inch of the home we’re now grounded to — it’s doubtful anyone has ever wished for a never-ending supply of solitude. Enter modern technology: Hangouts instead of hangouts, Houseparty instead of house parties and FaceTime instead of actual face time. You get the idea; for every social need, there’s now a suitable social distancing app or platform. Most of these tech tools are based — you guessed it — right here in the Bay Area. Is their presence in our lives a little sad? No doubt. But is it essential right now? We know the answer. https://tinyurl.com/y7ygkdta

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John Prine – Loneliness as the Public Health Crisis

Fifty years before the experts declared loneliness among older people as one of America’s most significant public health threats, the singer-songwriter John Prine alerted the nation to its impact. His song, “Hello in There,” shines an unsparing light on the human consequences of writing off our older population.  

The 73-year-old Prine lost his fight with the coronavirus. In a short essay published in Newsweek, Marc Freedman, Encore Founder and CEO, puts that pioneering song—composed by a 24-year-old Prine—into perspective and explain what it has to teach us today. https://tinyurl.com/y9jsya6n

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Make the most of your telehealth visit – NIH Advice

Many doctor’s offices are switching to telehealth appointments because of coronavirus concerns. Telehealth appointments may take place over the phone or via a video conferencing service. Here are some tips to make the most out of these appointments:

·  Make a list of your concerns and prioritize them. Talk about the most important points first—don’t put off what’s really on your mind! If you don’t get through all of your concerns, you may need to ask to schedule a follow up appointment.

·  Minimize technical difficulties. Ask a friend or family member to help you download any apps and test your microphone and camera to make sure they are working. Make sure your speakers are up loud enough for you to hear well.

·  Keep your doctor up to date. Let them know about any hospital or specialist visits you’ve had since your last visit. Also mention any changes you’ve noticed in your appetite, weight, sleep or energy levels.

Visit the NIH website to learn more about how to prepare for a doctor’s appointment.

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Alcohol and medicines—what you need to know

Many medicines, both prescription and over-the-counter, can be dangerous when mixed with alcohol. Always ask your doctor or pharmacist if you can safely drink alcohol whenever you get a new prescription or start a new over-the-counter medicine. Here are some examples of problems caused by mixing alcohol with certain medicines.

Click here for the original article: https://tinyurl.com/y788t48x

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Get important papers in order

You may have some extra time at home due to social distancing. Use it to get your important papers in order. But what exactly is an “important paper”?

The specific list of documents will vary from family to family. The National Institute on Aging has a place to start! Check out these lists of personal and financial documents to pull together: https://tinyurl.com/y9a8gh8s.

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Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Recent COVID-19 Items in the News

· Age Must Not be Used as Primary Criteria to Deny Treatment?(The Hill, op-ed by CEO James Appleby and member Nora Super)

· Many parts of America have already decided to sacrifice the elderly?(The Washington Post, co-authored by member Jospeh Coughlin)

· Preventing COVID-19 from decimating nursing home residents requires spending money and improving infection control?(The Conversation, authored by GSA President Kathryn Hyer and members David Dosa and Lindsay Peterson)

· Don't lump seniors together on coronavirus. Older people aren't all the same. (USA Today, op-ed by members Karen L. Fingerman and Kelly Trevino)

· What explains Covid-19’s lethality for the elderly? Scientists look to ‘twilight’ of the immune system (STATNews, features GSA members George Kuschel and Janko Nikolich Zugich)

· The US Faces Two Disastrous Scenarios. There's a Third Option.(Washington Post, author Gordon Douglas, GSA NAVP Workgroup Chair)

Since 2001 AROHE has supported both institutions and individuals by transforming the experience of retirement – the preparation, the actual transition, and post-retirement programming – into a smooth and productive life-course change.

To renew, join or learn more visit arohe.org or contact AROHE by emailing info@arohe.org or calling (213) 740-5037.