Front and center

Seniors say nonprofit’s services more important than ever

Donna Auman’s 84th birthday was set to be a big day.

She and about 20 of her country-line-dancing friends were looking forward to lunch together at Shady Maple Smorgasbord, where Auman was excited for macaroni and cheese, stewed tomatoes and cherry pie topped with whipped cream.

But on March 15 — just three days before the Womelsdorf woman’s birthday arrived — COVID-19 shut things down.

Since then it’s been a tough time for Auman and so many older adults who have had to miss events, separate from friends and family, and in many ways disconnect from society because of the restrictions to mitigate the virus.

And for Berks Encore, a nonprofit organization that many of the seniors rely on, it’s been difficult to help them without increasing the danger of the virus spreading through an at-risk population.

But they’ve figured out how to offer their services in new ways, and that’s something many seniors are thankful for.

That includes Auman, whose Wednesday bingo games at the Wernersville center are again a highlight of her week, an hour of seminormalcy with friends during a time of so much isolation.

“Church is virtual again, so other than going to the store and to the doctor, bingo is really the only other thing that I do,” she said. “It’s only an hour, but it’s an hour of doing something with other

people. It’s important.”

Striking a balance

Encore officials say they realize how meaningful their activities and services are for seniors, and that’s why they’re working to strike the difficult balance of staying open while keeping seniors COVID-free.

“It’s a vulnerable population that already had limited social engagement, and now it’s limited even more,” said LuAnn Oatman, president and CEO. “It’s been hard on people.”

The centers were mostly closed to visitors all spring and early summer, but Encore officials worked to come up with plans to partially reopen once the COVID numbers in Berks started to come down.

After Berks went to green status under the state’s COVID system on June 26, Encore allowed seniors back into centers but staggered their attendance. Where the Reading center typically would have had 80 visitors and staff on a normal day, that number was cut to 20 or less.

“There are people that are disappointed that they can’t be here every day, but this is the new normal now,” Oatman said.

The Wernersville center reopened in July for bingo, but only for about 15 seniors at a time who have to make reservations in advance.

Auman said she feels comfortable at the center, as everyone has their temperature taken when they enter, wears a mask, distances and sanitizes their hands frequently. Meals are now offered to go instead of eaten on-site.

“I think it’s very safe,” she said.

Oatman said those protocols are crucial if Encore’s six centers are to stay open, which she hopes they can do even as state health officials expect the spike in COVID-19 cases to grow worse after Thanksgiving.

Staying connected

While Encore is again holding in-person exercise classes for a limited number of participants, it’s also offering fitness classes online.

Bob Saffiro of South Heidelberg Township and his wife, Diane, take a weekly flexibility, aerobics, balance and strength class that Encore arranges online, and said they get a lot out of it, including safety advice on how to properly rise out of a chair or withstand a fall.

Though they’d tried to stay in shape while the exercise classes were on hiatus, after the first few online classes Bob noticed his legs had weakened, so he was glad for the virtual option.

They also plan to join the online tai chi courses Encore will soon offer, he said.

Encore will expand its virtual classes and services to replace those it cannot currently offer in person, and wants to recruit more seniors to join them, Oatman said.

In addition, the Oley art center Clay on Main, which had received a Berks County Community Foundation grant to run monthly craft workshops at Encore’s Mifflin Center in Shillington be

fore the pandemic, has pivoted and instead began creating craft kits that seniors could complete at home.

The pandemic also has brought a big increase in requests for home-delivered meals, Oatman said

To meet that need, its Meals on Wheels never closed during the pandemic, with more than 700 receiving food deliveries daily. That makes Berks one of only a few counties in the state where those deliveries weren’t curtailed.

There are many lonely and homebound seniors left to feed, Oatman said, and sometimes the visit itself is as valuable as the food they deliver, letting people know they are cared about.

“The continuation of our services remains more important than ever,” she said.

‘It’s a blessing’

Susan Baker of Reading said what’s made the pandemic even tougher on many seniors

is the activities they used to enjoy in their elderly housing complexes are now halted.

Baker lives in the Skyline View apartment building on North Ninth Street, where even the common room was closed.

“The virus has put a stomp on things, and that’s really putting a strain on people,” she said.

She has friends she used to meet with regularly in the common room but now hasn’t seen for months.

“I don’t know if some of them are alive or dead,” she said.

So getting together with others for programs at the city’s Encore center is something she counts on.

“Who wants to just talk on the phone all the time? You want to be able to see people,” she said. “I think that’s very important.”

So, too, does Helen Flowers of Reading, who appreciates that she’s been able to return to the Ninth Street center, as well as the virus mitigation protocols it has in place.

“I missed the atmosphere and the people,” she said. “I’m so glad they reopened, and we can still have fun without putting others at risk. It’s a blessing.”