The holidays will look a bit different for many of us this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and interact with one another. For many older adults, this can mean a loss of social connections that, if left unaddressed, can have serious negative mental and physical health consequences. This is why Life Skills Centers is participating in Home for the Holidays, a national campaign led by the Eldercare Locator and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), this year in partnership with the University of California, San Diego Center for Healthy Aging.
Launched every year during the holiday season, Home for the Holidays is intended to help families and friends discuss difficult topics with their loved ones. A new consumer brochure is the focus of this year’s campaign, Staying Connected and Healthy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Resources for Older Adults and Caregivers, which highlights the importance of social connection, its impact on our physical and mental health—and ways the Aging Network can help older adults connect to their communities during this time of limited in-person social interactions. Life Skills Centers can inform and connect consumers to programs that provide a variety of ways to stay connected to others in their communities, including connecting you with online caregiver resources and local support services and programming. This is all part of our mission to help older adults maintain existing and develop new social connections to reduce social isolation and loneliness.
For individuals residing in and near St. Clair County, Michigan, Life Skills Centers provides in-person specialized care at our Memory Care Services program. Caregivers may participate in our online caregiver support and educational offerings and take advantage of a special device loan program. The device loan program is available to caregivers who do not have access to the internet. This includes one-on-one instruction in accessing online caregiver support content.
For more information about the campaign and other local resources available for older adults and their caregivers, contact a member of the Memory Care Services team via our contact form or call 810-331-0030.