ADRC Announces Changes To Programs Due to COVID-19

The Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Barron, Rusk and Washburn Counties is committed to ensuring the safety of our customers, volunteers and staff. The coronavirus (COVID-19) situation is changing rapidly and the ADRC is following current recommendations from Barron County Public Health. As a proactive step in slowing down the spread of this illness and helping our local health systems manage care, we will adjust our service provisions to meet only critical needs until further notice. The ADRC will continue to assess what level of services we provide. Each of our programs will be impacted as follows:
Senior Nutrition Program
• Effective Thursday, March 19th, dine-in meals at all nine Barron County congregate locations, including Dining at 5, will be modified to a “Grab & Go” service until further notice. Diners will need to call the day ahead, reserve a meal for pick-up at the dining site, and then take their meal with them.
• Meals on Wheels will continue as usual. Please plan ahead for potential future disruption in Meals on Wheels service.
• No breakfast will be served at the Rice Lake Senior Center, and there is no “Grab & Go” option.
• Soup & Salad Bar events at Barron, Cumberland, Rice Lake and Chetek will be suspended.
AddLIFE Transportation: Specialized transportation services will continue at this time. We will be reaching out to those scheduled for non-essential trips to determine the necessity of these trips and act accordingly.
Daybreak: Effective Thursday, March 19th, Daybreak respite services will be suspended until further notice.
Tax Aide: Tax aide appointments will be suspended at this time.
Loan Closet: Medical equipment rental will be suspended at this time.
Commodity Food Program: Commodity Food distribution will be suspended at this time.
Healthy Aging Workshops & Events: All events and workshops hosted by the ADRC will be postponed until further notice. These include:
• Beneficial Bites
• Boost Your Brain & Memory Classes
• Caregiver Boot Camp, April 18th
• Connecting Community & Caregivers Event, April 8th
• 50+ Challenge to Live Well Event, April 26th
• Health Promotion Workshops, such as Stepping On and Healthy Living With Diabetes
• Memory Screening Events
Those currently registered for any of these events will be contacted about cancelation and their names will be maintained and contacted when the programs are rescheduled. Registrations questions can be directed to Peggy Schmidt at 715-537-6225 or margaret.schmidt @co.barron.wi.us
Support Groups: All support groups hosted by the ADRC will be postponed until further notice. Current participants will be contacted. These include:
• Alzheimer’s/Dementia Info Support Group
• Early Stage Memory Loss Support Group
• Low Vision Support Group
Professional contacts for Information, Assistance and Benefits: They are committed to continue providing quality information and services without disruption. Face to face contact, however, will be reduced to a minimum. As much assistance as possible will be given over the telephone. We will continue to schedule office visits as needed but will minimize home visits to essential needs. Customers are asked to cancel appointments if they are sick.
The ADRC encourages everyone to follow the Center for Disease Control (CDC) safety recommendations as they evolve. You can find information at http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index. html. The 211 response line is also prepared to field general questions about the COVID-19 situation. They are up to date on all statewide information.
The CDC has identified those over age 60 and people with serious chronic medical conditions like diabetes, heart, lung, or kidney disease are at higher risk for a more serious COVID-19 illness. The CDC recommends that if you are at higher risk of more serious illness from COVID-19 because of any of these factors, it is especially important for you to take actions to reduce your risk of getting sick with the disease. They recommend you:
• stock up on supplies
• take everyday precautions to keep space between yourself and others
• keep away from others who are sick when you go out in public, limit close contact, and wash your hands often
• avoid crowds as much as possible
• stay home as much as possible to reduce your risk of being exposed during a COVID-19 outbreak in your community
Barron County Public Health is providing ongoing guidance and communication and they will continue to follow their recommendation to create procedures to be able to continue as much of our current programming as possible. They realize this may cause inconvenience in the short-term.
If you are experiencing symptoms, please contact your health provider. This is an ever-changing situation and they will continue to monitor and evaluate the best ways to meet the community needs while addressing all safety concerns. For general agency questions, please contact Jennifer Jako at 715-537-6225 or mail to: jennifer.jako@co.barron. wi.us.