Seniors struggle to complete vaccine appointment process
Maui County Office on Aging offers to help
Like many other kupuna, Olinda senior citizen Leonard Hasse struggled to register for a COVID-19 shot.
“I’d prefer doing it by phone,” said Hasse, who knows how to use a computer but found problems navigating the online vaccination system.
Hasse worried about his fellow kupuna who may not have computers or internet access or are unable to navigate an online system.
“What are we supposed to do? We are the most vulnerable population,” said Hasse, who is in his 80s.
Hasse was fortunate in the meantime to get assistance and receive his first vaccination from the Veterans Affairs on Maui. But he hopes there will be an easier way when he has to help his wife make an appointment once Maui clinics reopen for first vaccinations again.
“We are hearing the same concerns about kupuna who don’t have internet access having trouble making appointments,” said Keali‘i Lopez, AARP Hawai‘i State Director.
She noted that depending on the island, some clinics do have phone lines to make appointments, and that there are social services that can also help.
In Maui County, the Office on Aging is welcoming phone calls from seniors having trouble making an appointment or navigating the system, even if that means the phone is “ringing off the hook” throughout the day, Executive on Aging Deborah Stone-Walls said Wednesday afternoon.
The office’s number is 2707774, but people can leave a message if they’re unable to reach staff, who are dealing with an uptick in calls, said Stone-Walls, adding that “we will call you back that day.”
“The main thing is that we are here for the seniors and know it is very important to help ensure that every senior on Maui has access to the vaccine,” she said.
So far the agency has collected names and information from 800 seniors that is then passed on to the state Department of Health’s Maui District Office, Stone-Walls said. From there either DOH officials or the Office of Aging will call kupuna back to schedule appointments so they don’t have to navigate the internet.
If seniors have called and put their names on the list with her office, Stone-Walls said there is no need to call back.
For now, seniors will need to wait for their appointments, as both
DOH’s clinic at the University of Hawaii Maui College and Maui Health’s clinic at Maui Memorial Medical Center continue to focus on giving out second shots to the priority groups and those who have already received their first shots.
Stone-Walls said her office recommends that seniors with their own email addresses try and make their own appointments.
If they can’t, and a family member of friend cannot assist, then the Office on Aging will help, she said.
Stone-Walls’ office, AARP and other agencies, including the Health Department, are also working on ensuring homebound seniors and those in community care homes are not left behind and can be vaccinated.
They are looking to possibly have a centralized site or areas for seniors to get vaccinated, as well as visit places where seniors may be homebound and deliver vaccines there.
Many agencies are involved in the efforts, including Maui Economic Opportunity, which could assist with transportation to and from vaccination sites, Stone-Walls said.
“We have been working on a plan and we are starting to see it happen,” Stone-Walls said.
AARP also encouraged the community to help kupuna.
“It’s always a good idea in this time of COVID to reach out to isolated kupuna just to talk,” Lopez said. “But if you have internet access and can help, go ahead and give someone a call if you can help.”
But she also cautioned kupuna about vaccine fraud as scammers prey on seniors anxious to get a dose.
“If you get an email, text or phone call from a stranger offering you the vaccine, be careful,” Lopez said. “If they ask you for money, it’s a scam. Hang up, don’t click the link and delete the email.”
She said that people should only give personal and/or insurance information to a trusted health care provider or to someone they know and trust.
AARP also plans to have a telephone forum beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday for kupuna who have questions about the vaccines. Dr. Sarah Kemble, acting DOH epidemiologist, and Lt. Gov. Josh Green, who’s also a medical doctor, will be panelists at the town hall.
To join, call (866) 2957282 or sign up online at vekeo.com/aarpHawaii.
The town hall will also be livestreamed at www.face book.com/AARPHawaii/.
Maui Health said Wednesday that they, too, know how hard it may be for kupuna to navigate the system.
While the hospital is not taking any first dose appointments for now, it is currently assisting kupuna who have already completed an appointment request form by Jan. 17 on finalizing their registration through the Vaccination Administration Management System, or VAMS, so they can get a subsequent appointment once more vaccine is received, said spokeswoman Tracy Dallarda.
The form was pulled from the hospital website when appointments for first vaccines were suspended.
Those who have already completed the Maui Health appointment request form but are not able to complete the next steps in VAMS can email mhcovid-vaccine@kp.org or call the hotline at 242-2273 and leave their name, phone number and a short message.
“We will return your call and schedule an appointment (with a help desk) if we cannot help you over the phone,” Dallarda said.
The hospital has a help desk to assist folks such as kupuna, but it is by appointment only and is currently assisting people in Phase 1a and 1b who have already completed the appointment request prior to Jan. 17, Dallarda said.
The hospital is also seeking an off-site desk to assist, with more information to come. It will not administer any vaccines, she said.