A Message from the Director: Devon Christianson
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing”.
~ Theodore Roosevelt
These very challenging times call for very challenging decisions. ADRC must, even when some disagree, do the right thing. As of the date I am writing this, in the state of Wisconsin, 87% Coronavirus deaths are people 60 and older. ADRC has a great responsibility to assure we are working safely to reduce the possibility of our customers becoming ill. This is not easy in the face of a tremendous desire to open and “get back to business.”
We know our customers need us.
ADRC plays a critical role in helping people access care, benefits, nutrition, and connection to important resources. How can we do both? Slowly and carefully. We want to assure individuals who need to meet with us know that we are taking their needs seriously and have their safety as a primary focus. Although we will not be opening our doors to the general public for some time, we will be meeting with people by phone, via video conferencing, and by appointment in our office and in their homes. This way, we will control the number of people gathering to assure proper sanitizing between contacts.
Percent of COVID-19 Deaths by Age Group
(updated 6/11/2020 = Total 682)
Safety Measures for customers, volunteers, and staff
Some of the things you may experience when you come in:
- One-way entrance and exits
- Welcome checks with screening questions and temperature checks
- Masks on our staff and we ask you wear one, too
- Gloves when touching materials
- Hand sanitizing stations
- Plexi-glass “sneeze” shields at our Welcome Center and in interview rooms
- 6 ft distance markers
- Cleaning of hard surfaces every 2 hours
- Lots of new signage to encourage hand-washing, covering coughs, and room occupancy limits
- Only essential, distanced seating for waiting or meetings
Loan Closet
This has been one of our toughest “right decisions.” We know ADRC has been a critical player in the world of durable medical equipment reuse. The original purpose of the loan closet was to provide equipment for persons who did not have a payment source, ex; insurance, and could not afford to purchase it. It has grown beyond our capacity since then. A survey conducted in early 2020, just before we closed our doors found:
- The majority of users have insurance or other forms of benefits
- Few users have needed to have the fees waived due to their inability to pay
- Items most often asked for are covered by benefits and/or are affordable
The pandemic has brought to light that ADRC does not have the equipment or manpower to assure equipment can be properly sanitized and safe. We are exploring what this means for our program going forward. Therefore, we need to suspend the program until other options are defined. We cannot take returns or lend new items at this time. We want to help you find other resources, please call and speak to our staff.
Online – Virtual Programming: Now Available!
Check out our new virtual offerings at Stay Active and Healthy/Events Calendar page at adrcofbrowncounty.org/events-calendar/ to find our new virtual offerings. We have many new and exciting virtual options to keep people connected and engaged. Here are a few:
- Exercise programs including young adult yoga
- Dementia programs and support groups: Managing Difficult Behaviors, Healthy Living for your Brain & Body, Understanding Alzheimer’s & Dementia
- Evidenced Based Programs: Brain Enrichment, Better Choices, Better Health, Mind over Matter, Powerful Tools for Caregivers
- Education: Advanced Directive, Funeral Planning, Aging Mastery, Life Letters
When will we be back?
We never left. We are here for you, just a phone call away! The ADRC Board of Directors has set criteria we will follow as we move to slowly and safely open our doors to in-person services. More to come, watch our website, Facebook page, give us a call. You are important to us!
