After year of isolation, this vaccinated Stamford senior can finally visit family
STAMFORD — Gloria Mallozzi, an 85-year-old from Stamford, vividly recalls the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She had just purchased a new car on March 9, 2020, finally replacing her 31-year-old vehicle. A week later, the crisis began. And since then, she hasn’t done much driving in her new car.
“We were all prepared for a month or two of lockdown,” she said. “Then it went on and on.”
She couldn’t go to the Stamford Senior Center or her favorite stores. But Mallozzi tried to stay positive by reading books, consuming the news, listening to the radio and talking virtually with friends.
One favorite activity was reading books and watching movies about past pandemics, which prepared her for what would be a “longer haul” experience during COVID-19, she said.
And like many other seniors, she followed the guidelines to be cautious throughout the pandemic. But with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, many older adults are reflecting on their experiences and looking forward to adjusting to the new normal.
Local senior center leaders said older adults had good reason to be fearful given the high death toll from the coronavirus in their age group. Of the 7,995 COVID-19 related deaths in Connecticut as of Friday, 92 percent were among those older than 60, according to the state’s official website.
Nursing homes were also rocked by the virus. By midJanuary, for example, 3,728 residents in the state’s 213 nursing homes had died of complications, accounting for more than half of the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in Connecticut at the time.
Changes at the senior centers
At the senior center in Stamford, leaders were also adapting to a new reality after their facility was locked down.
Christina Crain, executive director and president of the Stamford Senior Center, said her staff sprang into action, delivering groceries, creating virtual programming and offering drive-thru meals for the seniors. They even helped seniors learn how to use Zoom.
A coffee talk group and outdoor fitness classes will return when it’s warmer, Crain said.
“We had no idea what was in store for us,” she said of the pandemic era. “We really kind of sprung into action to see, what do we need to keep our senior safe?”
Leaders at the Greenwich and Stamford senior centers said emergence of the vaccines was both a highlight and a challenge for their populations. The senior center leaders helped to bridge the digital divide by assisting clients with signing up for appointments.
In Stamford, Crain and her staff have helped more than 4,000 members set up their appointments. Lori Contadino, director of the Greenwich Commission on Aging, which oversees the Greenwich Senior Center, said she and her staff have assisted more than 800 members with vaccine appointments.
“It’s as if you just told them they won the lottery,” Crain said of the experience. “When I was getting someone an appointment for the vaccine, they were ecstatic; They were so grateful. I feel like it was giving them a new (outlook) on life.”
Greenwich Senior Center leaders have engaged in a similar process of aiding their clients during the pandemic, by delivering meals and creating a program to mail activities to homebound seniors, who aren’t connected to the internet.
Now, Contadino is looking forward to reopening the Greenwich Senior Center in a slow and measured way.
“Although we don’t yet have a date in mind, we’re drafting our protocols,” she said. “And that’s something really incredible to look forward to, not only from a staff perspective, but from the viewpoints of the older adults that want to be more engaged, not only with their peers but with us.”
Under the new rules, individuals will be required to register for in-person classes in advance, wear masks, stay six feet apart, and leave directly after their programming ends, she said.
Many of the Greenwich seniors are ready for any reopening. Judy Bring was terrified last year when
COVID-19 hit: The 77-year-old woman living in Greenwich ordered masks “from every available place,” bought as much Lysol as she could find and ordered her groceries online through Instacart.
“I probably poisoned myself with detergent,” Bring said. “I put apples and other produce in the sink with Dawn soap. It was a whole process. When I got my delivery of food, it took me at least an hour to get everything wiped and sanitized.”
For most of the past year, Bring said she remained alone and isolated, and at times felt depressed.
But now that she has received both doses of her COVID-19 vaccine, Bring is making up for lost time. She’s “out and about” — even traveling recently to Boston to see her children and grandchildren for the first time since the crisis began.
Looking to reopen
Stamford Senior Center leaders are also hoping by early summer to reopen their space in the Stamford Government Center.
Crain will work with Mayor David Martin’s office to coordinate the reopening as he lifts restrictions in the building. Visitors to the senior center will also follow social distancing protocols there, including mask-wearing during smaller classes. A virtual option will remain.
Crain and Contadino said they’re inspired by the resiliency of their older adult members, who have been versatile and willing to learn new technologies during the COVID-19 crisis.
“I think they underestimate aging,” said Mallozzi, of Stamford. “Most of my friends do very well,” said Mallozzi, of Stamford. “They’re very active, and whatever adjustment we have to make through aging, we make.”
Sometimes, Mallozzi said. employees at the bank treat her as if she’s senile.
“They think that just because you’re aging, that you’re slower mentally,” she said. “Inwardly, I kind of laugh, because I say, ‘Someday, you’re going to know that that’s not true.”’