Coronavirus and aging: Alabama's oldest citizens hit with more danger, burdens

Mar. 19--Joan Holland chanced one last trip to the grocery store to stock up before settling into life inside the Montgomery home she's shared with husband Edwin for more than 45 years. Both are in their 70s, and he's had Alzheimer's for a decade.

She says they're better off than some. The couple gets a meal delivered each weekday by a local nonprofit.

"Tomorrow, I know I'm going to have a meal," Joan Holland said. "A lot of people don't have that."

Alabama's older residents already faced a challenge in getting basic necessities. They still do. Census estimates show that about 17% of all the state's residents are 65 or older, and those Alabamians have the second-highest food insecurity rate in the nation.

Now they have to get those necessities amid crowds of panic-buyers while facing the threat of a coronavirus pandemic that is especially dangerous to people over 60. And they have to do it even as public life shuts down to slow the spread of the disease.

Hundreds of home-bound area seniors get food delivered through the Montgomery Area Council on Aging's Meals on Wheels program, but even they're fighting through challenges. Local business people usually volunteer to deliver the meals, but many of those people are now working from home. That's left them with a dire need for drivers.

The agency also has cut down on volunteer access during the outbreak, so core staff is doing extra work to prepare the meals. "So far, we're keeping our head above water," MACOA's Jan Woods said. "Our clients have to eat."

The coronavirus COVID-19 causes mild to moderate flu- and pneumonia-like illnesses in those young and relatively healthy, and it can be deadly for those older than 60 or with pre-existing health conditions. Young people may be transmitting the virus without even knowing it, says Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director Brian Hastings.

A data analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 46% of Alabama adults are at higher risk of developing serious illness if infected with coronavirus.

Some are trying to ease the burden on older residents. A few local stores around the nation started designating a certain time each day for those over 60 and other high-risk shoppers, hoping to give them a chance to avoid the crowds.

National chain Dollar General followed suit this week and set aside the first hour of each business each day specifically for seniors. It over has 16,000 locations. "We appreciate our customers' understanding of our decision and request they visit our stores later in the morning..." Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos said in a release.

In the following days, Walmart, Target and others also announced special shopping hours for the most vulnerable each day.

It's not just a pantry problem. The outbreak has affected a range of services seniors rely upon. For instance, health dangers forced the AARP Foundation to suspend its Tax-Aide service, which normally offers free tax prep to thousands of older Alabamians.

In east Alabama it forced the cancellation of an event on fraud dangers, so Lee-Russell Council of Governments workers have been reaching out to people by phone and talking them through it one-on-one. They normally serve hot meals at eight senior centers across the two counties, but now they're delivering them so people don't have to come to the center. Case managers have stopped visiting their 230 home-bound clients to minimize the risk of infection, and food is now left on their doorstep.

At Winn-Dixie in east Montgomery, you'll usually find 100-year-old Romay Davis stocking shelves. But you won't see her today or for the next few weeks. She's one of several elderly employees that the store sent home on vacation to keep them from interacting with shoppers.

"We decided to be proactive and send them home for a while," manager Reginald Hardy said.

MACOA has some new supplies on the way that are built to last, but they're so bulky that it'll take even more drivers to get them to homes in need.

Joan Holland said she and her husband appreciate the greeting and kind words they get from the volunteer drivers almost as much as the meals themselves. "It lets me know I am not forgotten," she said. "Ed's not forgotten."

If you'd like more information about volunteering as a driver for Meals on Wheels, you can call 263-0532.

For more information about resources for seniors in the River Region, call the Central Alabama Aging Consortium at 334-240-4680 or go to centralalabamaaging.org.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brad Harper at bharper1@gannett.com.

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