CULLMAN, Ala. – Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday extended Alabama’s Safer at Home Order through Oct. 2, meaning senior centers will remain closed. The centers have been shut down since March 16, leaving many area seniors lacking the daily interactions that filled their days. Curbside meals are still being distributed and homebound meals are being delivered, but senior centers are so much more.
The Tribune sat down with Cullman County Commission on Aging Director Dusty Baker to talk about the ongoing effects the closures are having on the Cullman County’s senior community.
“We have some seniors who are in bad shape. We’ve lost some and we have a few that have gone downhill because they don’t have that interaction and the social part of their life anymore,” he said. “(There’s) a lot of depression and it’s just really sad.”
Many seniors who participate at area centers are close friends, and they continue to check on each other, according to Baker.
The directors of each center, as well as other staff from the Commission on Aging, spend a great deal of time checking on the senior centers’ members. Not knowing how long the shutdown could continue, they are also trying to think of ways to engage seniors while following all the State’s COVID-19 guidelines.
Baker explained, “We are trying to be creative in what we are doing and things we can offer. I know people may have seen the bingos in the park. Well, I bought some equipment and we are going to try to do a drive-in bingo since it’s still so hot. They can just drive in and we will call bingo over an FM frequency. That way, they can keep their air on in the car and if they bingo, they can blow the horn! We keep exploring our different options, but nothing we come up with is perfect. Everything we try to come up with, we run into some sort of road block because the gathering part is the biggest issue. With drive-in bingo, at least we can do something.”
With the drive-in idea, there is still frustration as many seniors don’t drive and rely on family, friends or the Cullman Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) to participate in senior center activities.
“We want to include everybody,” Baker said, “but there’s nothing we have been able to come up with that includes everybody and it’s sad.”
Participation in the daily curbside pickup meals is still going strong. Normally, the delivery of homebound meals gives volunteers and staff an opportunity to see and check in on homebound seniors, but with current guidelines, those delivering meals are not able to enter the homes of those receiving meals.
“It’s a terrible time right now. At some point, I think, they would be like, ‘Hey, I don’t care anymore. I need somebody to come talk to me. Come into my house and whatever happens, happens.’ We love them too much to do anything like that,” Baker said.
Since the COVID-19 shutdowns began, senior centers, assisted living and nursing homes have had similar restrictions.
When asked if the seniors living independently should be considered differently from those in long-term facilities, Baker replied, “Yes. I do. Everybody has different needs. Especially if you are in those types of situations. You can’t put everyone into one generalization and think that’s going to work for everybody.”
If the senior centers were to be allowed to reopen, Baker said he is still uncertain what the capacity restrictions would look like.
“That would cause all kinds of issues if they had to fight just to get in the door,” he said. “I think right now, I just couldn’t limit and let some people in and not allow others. I don’t have the heart to do that.”
Baker is hopeful that with the cooler fall weather more outdoor activities can be planned that fall within the social distancing guidelines.
He discussed the possibility of utilizing walking trails, but he added, “Even with that, there is only so much you can do. We have racked our brains constantly trying to figure out things we can do.”
He said he would consider a drive-in movie night if he had a projector or a screen big enough.
The Commission on Aging consists of seven full-time centers and nine part-time centers in Cullman County. Planning an event or trying to find activities for all seniors to have access to is another obstacle as the Commission strives to include everybody.
Said Baker, “The walking thing is a great idea. We have the walking trail right down here (Sportsman Lake Park), but this is just one facility in the entire county that has one.”
Despite centers being closed, the Commission continues other services.
“We do a lot of it by phone,” Baker said. “We are still seeing clients in the office, but we have to follow the protocols set forth. We have to wear a mask, stay distanced and check temperatures. We bought sprayers to disinfect each room. We rely heavily on our magazine we put out quarterly. We are very adaptive!”
Several of the seniors who actively participated in senior center activities have passed away during the closures.
“Whether it was directly contributed to this, I can’t really say,” Baker said. “It makes me feel like it was because we broke the routine. It gives them something to get up and get out during the day, and when that doesn’t happen, things change with their own bodies- cognitively and physically.”
It has been a somber few months for the Commission, but Baker and his staff remain hopeful.
“We’re all in it together, and luckily, we have a great team,” he said. “They love the seniors as much as I do.”
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