Vernon Hills, partners launching programs to keep seniors connected through pandemic
An initiative to engage and reconnect seniors with the community during the COVID-19 era is underway in Vernon Hills.
The village, Charter Senior Living, Victory Centre and Meridian Health Care have partnered to provide support and ease isolation seniors may be feeling during the pandemic.
"We're focusing on what can be done rather than when can't be done," said Steve Rainsford of Meridian, who is serving as a community engagement specialist for the Senior Outreach Initiative.
"Anybody who's interested can be part of it," he added.
Providing social interaction and activities for seniors isn't a new concept in town.
The Vernon Hills Seniors Organization was established in 1995 and has been supported in various ways since. That includes dedicated space at village hall, subsidized transportation and funding in the annual village budget.
But as activities and gatherings were canceled because of the pandemic, seniors raised concerns about feeling disconnected from the community, according to Assistant Village Manager Jon Petrillo.
"When the first round of stay-at-home orders was issued, they were not allowed to be in our (senior center)," he said. "They didn't even have a Facebook page or email distribution system - it was all word-of-mouth."
The center reopened with COVID-19 safety guidelines in place but was ordered closed again when cases in Illinois surged. The local seniors didn't think that was fair because no cases had been reported among their ranks, Petrillo said.
Last month, Rainsford accompanied representatives from Charter to village hall to distribute dozens of goody bags filled with small gifts. That led to discussions with Petrillo and Victory.
"We started talking then, and it snowballed into a completely new program," Rainsford said.
The idea is to provide support and programming that will increase the physical and mental well-being of seniors, even as restrictions ease, Petrillo said.
Regularly scheduled activities at different locations are being planned. Today, for example, about two dozen independent living seniors will join Rainsford for a walking club at Hawthorn Mall.
"Nobody is being forced to do anything. This is for people who say, 'I want to get involved again,'" he said.
At the mall, walkers will see plants in pots painted by residents of Charter Senior Living, a memory care facility, and be asked to make sure they are watered.
"It's a small way of being connected," Petrillo said.
For more, visit the senior center webpage at vernonhills.org.