There’s no denying the long-lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on every aspect of everyday life. However, some populations — such as older adults — felt the impact of the pandemic much more than others. For example, 32% of Black adults and 39% of Latino/Hispanic adults aged 65 and older in the United States reported either using up all or most of their savings or losing jobs and sources of income because of the pandemic.
Measuring the economic impact of COVID-19 is just a matter of crunching numbers, whereas gauging the emotional and mental health implications is far more challenging. For the older adults in Dallas who already struggle with isolation, the pandemic increased the distance between these individuals and their loved ones, straining relationships and intensifying the traumatic nature of the world’s circumstances.
“Shortly after the start of the pandemic, it became clear that COVID-19 was increasing social isolation and loneliness among older adults,” says Stacey Malcolmson, president and CEO of The Senior Source. “As we were asking seniors to stay home to stay physically safe, their emotional and mental well-being began to suffer.”
For more than six decades, The Senior Source has been an invaluable resource to older adults throughout the D-FW area. Older adults and their families have come to rely on the organization for its wide variety of programs, events, resources and classes. The Senior Source’s mission is to enhance the quality of life of older adults in Dallas, offering tools to help them with financial, emotional and social issues.
“Our team realized we needed to do everything in our power to equip Dallas-area older adults with information and training on how to access and utilize technology,” says Malcolmson. “Our staff created instructional videos, held trainings on Zoom and used text messaging to ensure older adults weren’t left behind. Additionally, we assisted our clients with online grocery orders and utilized smartphones for prescription deliveries.”
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