Lunchtime can be a time for conviviality and camaraderie for local senior citizens. At the Willow Glen Community Center, regular groups of men and women look forward to their meals and the chance for stimulating conversation. Sometimes, middle-age children stop in to have lunch with their elderly parents.
That has all changed in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Gavin Newsom on March 15 issued an urgent call for seniors ages 65 and older to immediately “self-isolate” at home.
In response, the Saratoga Area Senior Center temporarily closed as of March 16 “to help flatline any spreading of COVID-19 to SASC members or visitors.” All Saratoga senior center programs and classes are postponed until further notice.
The Sunnyvale Senior Center is closed and all programs are cancelled. The Senior Nutrition Program is providing meals on a to-go basis only. Seniors can make reservations by calling 408-730-7371 and pick up pre-ordered meals from 11 a.m. to noon at the Orchard Pavilion.
Even before Newsom’s call for action, area senior centers were taking steps to help slow the infection rate.
San Jose public information manager Carolina Camarena said last week that all city-run senior nutrition centers are transitioning from sit-down hot lunches to boxed meals to go.
Other senior activities in San Jose have also been modified or curtailed. In Willow Glen jazz and ballroom dancing, bingo and bridge classes have all been cancelled. Per “social distancing” guidelines, seniors may use the lounge as long as they stay 6 feet apart. At the Almaden Community Center, large, crowded classes have been cancelled in favor of smaller classes so that people can maintain a social distance.
“It is incredibly important to serve seniors, who are a vulnerable population,” Camarena said, adding that San Jose’s senior centers have posted information regarding handwashing and sanitizing, and they have information from the public health department available.
The precautions taken by the many organizations in the area serving the elderly may vary according to the size of their programs. Live Oak Adult Day Services in Los Gatos, has a small group of elderly clients, according to program director Lisa Lenoci. Some have dementia, others have Parkinson’s Disease or other ailments; their activities include music, exercise and cognitive stimulation. “We get them out of their homes. It gives their caregivers a break as well,” Lenoci said.
Live Oak disinfects all tables, chairs and countertops more frequently now. They have been providing hand sanitizers to their clients, but Lenoci said stores are running out.
Live Oak also has adult day service centers in Willow Glen and Cupertino.
The Cupertino Senior Center doesn’t have a lunch program but provides cooking and food education classes. Day trip make up a substantial number of the center’s offerings. Due to the virus scare, trips to see the seals at Ano Nuevo and a flower show in Livermore have been cancelled.
Tina Wong-Erling of the Campbell Adult Center says that through the end of March, the center is cancelling activities where seniors are in close proximity to each other; these activities include card groups, movies and book discussion clubs. Classes such as dance, exercise and language where social distance can be maintained are still being held. The center’s hot lunch program is still dine-in, but with considerable space between the attendees, who also have the option for take-out.
The First United Methodist Church in Sunnyvale, which runs a senior nutrition program, is no longer providing sit-down meals; all the food is in to-go boxes.
