By Lisa Watts
A series of surveys document how Massachusetts senior centers are responding to COVID-19.
Four surveys of Councils on Aging (COA) throughout Massachusetts offer a comprehensive look at the challenges and activities of the state’s senior centers during the pandemic. The surveys were conducted in May 2020, August 2020, November 2020, and August 2021.
Researchers Ceara Somerville, Caitlin Coyle, and Jan Mutchler from the University of Massachusetts Boston conducted the surveys as part of the Massachusetts Council on Aging Database, a project of the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging at UMass Boston’s Gerontology Institute. The database began with a first round of surveys in 2016-2017. Those surveys asked the state’s senior centers about their funding, staffing, programs, and services.
By far, the most difficult challenge COA staff report during the pandemic is addressing social isolation (82%), followed by:
- Addressing the mental health of seniors (42%).
- Adjusting to working remotely (38%).
- Lack of or difficulty with technology (38%).
- Outreach communicating with seniors (37%).
To address these challenges, 85% of COAs reported increasing their number of outreach phone calls to older adults.
To learn more about the surveys, visit the Gerontology Institute Blog.