Local seniors can fight isolation and loneliness with online and in person classes, an electronic device or companion pets.
Otsego County Office for the Aging Director Tamie Reed said her department is encouraging seniors to be active and social “because it’s such an important part of aging well.” The department worked with the Senior Council of Schoharie County to expand The Gathering Place 50 Plus Community Center to a second location at 5506 state Highway 7 in Oneonta, which opened in September. The department also works with Carole Lachance, who runs “Connections” at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown.
The department also “just hosted a talk on social isolation at the Cooperstown library earlier this month with Dr. Doug DeLong, which had over 40 participants,” Reed said. During that talk, DeLong talked about how social isolation impacts seniors’ health and encouraged seniors to stay engaged.
According to a media release from the state Office for the Aging and the Association on Aging in New York, the costs of social isolation are staggering. Social isolation — lack of meaningful contacts with others — costs the Medicare program $6.7 billion in additional spending every year. Isolation is also a clear risk factor for illness, depression, high blood pressure and is a risk factor for dementia as well as death. Spending on the health consequences of social isolation is comparable to arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes — the public health equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes daily.
Research from the Global Council on Brain Health has shown that mental activity can be as critical as physical fitness in maintaining cognitive health, the release said. With that goal in mind, the NYSOFA invites all New York residents over 50 to try GetSetUp, a digital platform, which offers classes on topics such as navigating tech devices, virtual events, health and wellness and more. The platform is available on the New York partnership page at www.getsetup.io/partner/nystate.
The Gathering Place and Connections also offer a variety of classes and socialization opportunities, Reed said. “We also share information about the Tri-County Senior Center in Sidney, as they serve many of our southwestern residents,” she said. The department also offers classes. An exercise class will be held Mondays and Thursdays at 9 a.m. at the Worcester-Schenevus Library beginning Jan. 4, and a Tai Chi class will be held at the Gathering Place starting Jan. 10, she said. More information can be found in the department’s newsletter at http://tinyurl.com/yc2z2sem.
In addition to the GetSetUp courses, the county department has other tools for seniors who cannot get out of their houses as often. ElliQ, an interactive electronic device has been set up in several homes in the county. The device is designed for seniors who spend most of their day alone. It interacts with the person and will remind them to take their medicines, exercise and will converse with them. For more information, visit https://elliq.com/. The department also has electronic companion pets through Joy for All. There are cats, dogs and birds (walker squawkers), she said. For more information, visit https://joyforall.com/.
The department also delivered 277 “Shoeboxes for Seniors” this past week, Reed said. Local nurse Lisa Nunez coordinates the program with local schools and community members and OFA staff distribute the boxes during the holidays.