The combination of winter and staying home to stay safe from COVID-19 is taking its toll. The COVID-19 pandemic has created stress and uncertainties for everyone that can and does have an effect on physical and mental well-being.
The good news is that people can get through this and thrive, not just survive, if they stay connected.
To help people stay in touch, Faith in Action for Cass County has launched a Senior Connections Project that loans a tablet device with a phone connection to older adults so they can connect with family and friends by email and face-to-face phone chats.
Seniors can also connect with the many online support, grief, caregiver, dementia and mental health groups, online webinars, YouTube videos and other resources to help them get through this time of isolation.
People's health and well-being thrive when they are connected to others, continue to learn and find that they can make someone’s day with a short call or video chat.
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Senior Connections Project participants must be age 60+ and living in Cass County. Participants must register with Faith in Action for Cass County and sign a contract about tablet use. The tablets have data service that keeps them connected to the internet at all times and they are portable in a safe, easy-to-hold case.
Faith in Action staff will provide initial training and ongoing tech support. Participants must agree to weekly check-in visits with Faith in Action staff. Tablets are loaned on a monthly basis, for up to three months, which may be renewed, based on need, situation and the waiting list for tablet use.
If a participant purchases or is gifted their own tablet or laptop, Faith in Action staff may assist them with technology support to get this up and running.
The Senior Connections Project is funded in part with a COVID-19 grant from the Central Minnesota Council on Aging for six tablets, and with a Live Well at Home grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services for another six tablets.
Faith in Action for Cass County connects community volunteers with people who need assistance with transportation, homemaking, chores, visiting and basic home repairs. Faith in Action also has a telephone reassurance program that connects a volunteer to someone who requests a phone call for a “check-in” or a “chat” depending on what the caller prefers.
For more information on Faith in Action services and volunteer opportunities, call 218-675-5435 or visit www.faithinactioncass.com .
