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Today the Office of Healthy Aging launched RI Delivers, Rhode Island’s connection to help for those living in quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19. This service will ensure that Rhode Islanders in quarantine will have what they need to safely remain home and monitor their symptoms. Connections to groceries, home supplies, restaurants, and mutual aid…

FrameWorks Institute has provided some great strategies for communicating about the virus, such as this example of how we can encourage people to think about our collective responsibility to each other: INSTEAD OF “how to behave” TRY “how this affects us all” “Protect yourself and fight the virus by washing your hands and practicing social…

It is vital that everyone in Rhode Island be counted. Results from the census will help determine the amount of federal funding Rhode Island gets for schools, roads, housing, SNAP, park improvements, and more for the next ten years. In fact, Rhode Island receives $3.8 billion (yes, with a “B”) each year to support these…

We know that Senior Centers, Retirement Home Operators, Caregivers, and families are overwhelmed by keeping their members, residents, clients, and family members safe. Cyber-Seniors are taking extraordinary measures to mobilize their extensive network of trained Cyber-Senior Mentors to provide technology training in the form of online webinars and telephone support for older adults effective immediately.…

In our last newsletter, we shared that Tufts Health Plan Foundation announced that they are making additional support of $1 million to community efforts on behalf of older people affected by the coronavirus in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Connecticut. “This first wave of funding addresses one of the most pressing concerns facing older…

Rhode Island Foundation and United Way of Rhode Island have announced the first round of funding for local nonprofit organizations at the forefront of COVID-19 response. Nearly $1.25 million in grants will be distributed in the coming days to 27 local organizations, including some in Providence and the surrounding area.   A joint grants review…

isolation increases the risk of mortality. According to a 2012 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, both social isolation and loneliness are associated with a higher risk of mortality in adults aged 52 and older. One possible explanation: “People who live alone or lack social contacts may be at increased risk of…

The Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging (OHA) is working closely with the Rhode Island Department of Health and Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency to coordinate the state’s response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Older Rhode Islanders and individuals with underlying conditions are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness. Governor Raimondo and the Rhode…

Alice Bonner of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) contextualizes a new report suggesting that if prescribing patterns do not change in the US, older adults will experience at least 74 million adverse drug events requiring medical care and will be hospitalized nearly 5 million times in the next decade. Eliminating Medication Overload: A National Action…