How Has Your Life Changed?
July 8, 2021
By: Jody Moss
Email: jody.moss@dshs.wa.gov
So…how has your life changed since January 2020?
Maybe you are thinking, “Here goes, another article on the pandemic.” You would be partially correct.
But really I am asking because how you are doing guides the work that we are doing at the Olympic Area Agency on Aging.
We receive annual funding to deliver services for the community of elders and adults with disabilities. Some of that funding is for senior nutrition programs, for transportation, and to serve as a resource to you and your caregivers, if you have one. Caregivers can be paid individuals or more often, unpaid family members.
When my mother was aging and becoming frail, my siblings and I all met with her and a geriatric service coordinator. We all made plans together on how to support Mom living in her home which is where she wanted to be, until the end of her life. Of course things never go as smoothly or as simply as you wish, but without the service coordination, we would have been lost.
Olympic Area Agency on Aging, also known as Information and Assistance, provides service coordination for low income older adults. For the rest of us (and as my husband learned to his dismay last week, we are “pushing 70”, he and I), Olympic Area Agency on Aging will help to locate resources and help with planning for aging in place. The thing we hear all the time from people is, “I wish I knew about you before.” And all our work is focused on what you want for yourself.
Service coordination and referral to resources can only be effective if the services exist. A big portion of our work is to advocate for services to fill gaps, and to form partnerships in the community to help seniors and adults with disabilities. We need to know what you need so we can do our jobs.
That’s a lot of words to say will you help us with a survey?
This May and June we are launching a set of surveys intended to help us with planning. You may have completed one for us a few years ago, or maybe you are a regular and have completed one every 4 years as part of our Area Plan. If so, “Thank you!” …and will you do it again?
An Area Plan is developed after collecting feedback from community members and key stake holders. We review state, local and national data to identify the needs of older adults and gaps in services to meet those needs. Research also includes innovative projects from around the country that address those needs. From all that work, an Area Plan is developed which outlines the activities which will be conducted over the four year period to provide a comprehensive and coordinated system of services.
This year is an in-between year where we would normally conduct a mini check in on seniors’ needs and update our goals. But the pandemic has shaken and stirred everything so that we really do need to hear from you.
So back to the first question asked.
How has your life changed since January 2021? Do you need different help than you did before? Are you experiencing isolation causing you to feel more lonely and depressed – who isn’t? Do you have housing issues more than before? Access to food that has changed since the start of the pandemic? There is even a question about weight gain during the pandemic (called the COVID19 – yuck, yuck) or weight loss, which we know some people have experienced from not being able to enjoy one another’s company during mealtime. We want to know if you got sick with the virus, and if you plan to get or have already had the vaccine. Would you be willing to spend 15 minutes with us taking a survey?
We are asking older adults, adults with disabilities, their caregivers, tribes, contractors, and partners to provide feedback on their observations. The survey is completely confidential unless you wish to share your contact information and want a call back.
There are two surveys – one for elders, adults with disabilities and their caregivers to take, and one for tribes, contractors, and partners to share feedback on changes they have observed in their clients’/elders’ needs.
Because we are all different with different abilities, there are many ways to take the surveys.
- You can visit our website at o3a.org and click on the links on the very first page. The Area Plan Survey will take you to the survey for older adults, adults with disabilities and their caregivers.
- The Key Informant Survey is for people who work with elders, tribal programs, our contractors and partners.
- Other options for taking the survey(s) are:
- We can mail you a copy of the survey – call 1-866-720-4863
- You can call 1-866-720-4863 to provide your responses to our staff by phone.
- We can email you a link to the survey (using Survey Monkey) – call 1-866-720-4863
And here is one other option – a fun once for those with a smart phone that has a QR Code App on it. Just hover over the survey code you want to take and it will take you directly to the survey.
COVID-19 Vaccines: And one more thing…Information and Assistance is helping people to get a vaccine. If you are homebound and want a vaccine, please call the numbers below. If you need help scheduling, just call. If you need to arrange transportation, just call. We are here to help.
So, we need your help with the survey, or call us if you need help with a COVID-19 vaccine. Or call us if you need help with anything. We will try to get you sorted out.
Jody Moss is the Director of Contracts Management & Planning for the Olympic Area Agency on Aging and can be reached at 360-379-5064. For help with senior or adults with disability questions call Information and Assistance at 360-452-3221 in Clallam and 360-385-2552 in Jefferson.