New Flyer Highlights Ways Older Adults Can Stay Connected to the Community During COVID-19

Maintaining social connections is a key ingredient to reducing social isolation among older adults, particularly now during the COVID-19 national health crisis. As rising numbers of older adults adopt physical distancing practices, social isolation and loneliness are growing concerns for this segment of the population.

This is why engAGED and the Eldercare Locator have partnered to produce a flyer describing ways older adults can stay connected to their communities—with and without technology. To help older adults who may not have access to or familiarity with technology, the flyer highlights activities that can help foster and enhance a broad range of social connections. Some of the activities highlighted in the flyer include making a phone call to a friend or family member, taking an online exercise class and attending a virtual concert—all from the comfort of home.

To reach communities nationwide and offer access to local resources, the flyer can be customized with the local contact information, ensuring that older adults and caregivers know who to contact for social engagement and other aging services and supports in their community.

This flyer is the first of several collaborations between engAGED and the Eldercare Locator. Stay tuned to this space to for additional blog posts expanding upon the information included in the flyer on ways to help older adults stay connected to the community during COVID-19.

Both the Eldercare Locator and engAGED: The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults are administered by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and funded by the Administration for Community Living