Many Quad-City seniors have been isolated for months by the pandemic. CASI advocates are here to help.

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    DAVENPORT, IA (Quad-City Times ) — They are a new crop of first responders.

When the coronavirus pandemic first hit early this year, many Americans stayed home. Slowly, businesses reopened, many people went back to work and some routine returned.

But that hasn’t been the case for many who are elderly. The health risks associated with COVID-19 are simply too high for those over 65.

The Davenport-based CASI — Center for Active Seniors Inc. — has been keeping older Quad-Citians active for nearly 50 years. But the pandemic placed new demands on the CASI staff, especially its Senior Advocates.

For instance, how do you fill prescriptions online if you don’t have a computer or smart phone? How do you attend a virtual appointment with your doctor or order groceries for delivery?

The feelings of isolation produced by separation from family cannot be relieved by a Skype visit or Zoom meeting when you’re not equipped with the technology or the know-how to use it.

“This pandemic has definitely brought new challenges to our team,” said Harvey Wiley, one of CASI’s six senior advocates. “There was a big and fast learning curve on our end to make sure that we knew how to operate the (virtual) programs before trying to teach our clients to run them.”

While the demands are new, the advocacy is not. The experienced staff found itself confronting new experiences.

“CASI’s Senior Advocacy program has been in place for decades. In fact, the organization’s six full-time Senior Advocates have a combined 85 years of senior-service social work experience,” said Kathleen Malmloff, director of senior services. “Their goal is to help older adults get connected to programs and services that allow them to remain at home safely for as long as possible.

“Annually, CASI’s Senior Advocates assist approximately 2,000 individuals but that number is significantly higher now that COVID-19 has settled into the community and daily concerns have escalated.”

One need that was identified early on was for food.

“We developed and kind of birthed a mobile food pantry when COVID started,” said Laura Kopp, CASI’s president and CEO. “We had access to fresh produce from one of our members who couldn’t sell it, because the Farmer’s Markets were closed.

“We partnered with River Bend Foodbank. We started April 20, and we’ve served nearly 650 meals.”

As Senior Advocates discovered more needs, they found more ways to meet them, Kopp said.

“Imagine having no computer background and having a tele-med appointment,” she said. “Our advocates would take their own laptops or smart phones to homes and sit with individuals to help them through it.

“They run errands for people — for groceries, prescriptions, appointments.”

When the August derecho storm knocked out power in large swaths of the Quad-Cities, the outages could have been catastrophic for some seniors, Kopp said, especially those living in complexes.

“We had seniors living in multi-story communities with no electricity, no elevators, no air and no safe food to eat,” she said. “Our folks were going in to deliver food and fans and to clean out refrigerators. We already were seeing more frayed edges.

“It’s still recommended that seniors stay put. Their population in particular has not only severe symptoms of the disease to contend with but also death.”

And, as they worry, they do so alone.

“A lot of our clients aren’t able to see their kids or grandkids, and that’s very hard,” Kopp said.

One cure is more contact.

While CASI was able to keep its staff employed for several months by using a variety of grants for salaries, the money has run out. As of August, 80 percent of the staff was on furlough, she said.

Those remaining have their hands full.

“Our non-advocates are making calls to all 1,200 of our members,” Kopp said. “We ask, ‘Do you have enough to eat? Enough medication? Who was the last person you spoke with?’

“We make weekly phone calls to say, ‘We miss you at the center. We’re still here. Do you need anything?’ Socialization and connection are key to our mission.”

The activity center on Kimberly Road remains mostly closed, she said, because group activities for people over 65 still are discouraged. When it reopens, CASI’s revenue should return, too.

“We’re generating no activity fees or membership fees, and we’re losing thousands every day in revenue,” Kopp said. “Donations are always welcome, and we just don’t want people to forget about us.

“Our motto is: ‘We’re just going to do the next right thing.'”

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