ACL’s COVID-19 Resources: What’s New

Here's what's new on our COVID-19 resource page:

Supporting rural communities: Join ACL on Wednesday, July 1, at 2pm EDT for a webinar on connecting older adults and people with disabilities in rural America to resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar will feature researchers and program leaders including:

Amanda Reichard, PhD, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research , ACL (Moderator)
Lance Robertson, Administrator, ACL (Introduction and welcome)
Collette Adamsen, PhD, Director, National Resource Center on Native American Aging
Sara Tribe Clark, Director, Eldercare Locator
Richard Petty, MBA, Director, IL-NET National Training and Technical Assistance Center for independent living at ILRU
Andrew Myers, MA, University of Montana Rural Institute

Registration is not required, use this link to join the webinar.

Congratulations to Florida’s DOEA: The Florida Department of Elder Affairs’ Meals of Love program allows restaurants to become emergency vendors for older adults and people with disabilities. The program is the result of a partnership with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) and the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA). Meals of Love has delivered more than 600,000 meals and is helping to address food insecurity while supporting local restaurants and their staff. The program was recognized by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who delivered the 100,000th meal. Our page has more on the program and other innovative practices from grantees.

The latest from CDC: Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its list of people at risk of severe COVID-19 illness to reflect the latest available evidence. Instead of a specific age threshold, CDC now warns that among adults, risk increases steadily as you age, and it’s not just those over the age of 65 who are at increased risk for severe illness. CDC also updated the list of underlying medical conditions that increase risk of severe illness and clarified the list of other conditions that might increase a person’s risk of severe illness to include additions such as asthma, high blood pressure, neurologic conditions such as dementia, cerebrovascular disease such as stroke, and pregnancy.

Ensuring the safety of nursing home residents: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced the members of the independent Coronavirus Commission on Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes. The Commission will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the overall response to the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes and make short-term and long-term recommendations.

CMS also published FAQs on visitation considerations for nursing home residents.

Social Isolation Summit: On Tuesday, June 30, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. EDT, Meals on Wheels America and Caesars Foundation will host the National Social Isolation Summit. The event will feature Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad of Brigham Young University and a panel discussion on isolation, loneliness, and increasing human connectedness.

Updated guardianship FAQs: The National Guardianship Association and the ABA Commission on Law and Aging recently updated their FAQs on guardianship issues during COVID-19. The FAQs also are available in Spanish.

Building mental resilience: Across the country, people in helping professions are going above and beyond to serve others. The University of Southern California's School of Social Work has a blog post with advice on how social workers, first responders, public health professionals, and government officials can manage their own mental health while balancing their many roles and responsibilities.