Senior Age Partners with MSU Students to Help Older Adults Navigate Through Pandemic

Despite the closure of Senior Age centers to keep staff safe during the coronavirus, the agency is still helping seniors navigate through the crisis, reports KY3 . "We're fielding phone calls every day and then we're also calling all of our seniors as well," said Senior Age Chief Human Resources Officer Alex Cobb. "It's kind of a wellness check to make sure they're doing OK and then also answer a lot of the questions that they have." A frequent question seniors ask is how they will receive their stimulus checks, as the language has changed several times. "I would encourage people to wait a day or two to help the individuals help us understand things to be able to make that translation into simpler language and so we know how to answer their questions," Cobb said. Senior Age just initiated a partnership with Missouri State University (MSU) students nearing graduation. "The counseling program at Missouri State, their students need practicum hours," Cobb said."They can't get them right now because they have to be shut down." MSU students can now continue their counseling work by joining their telephone reassurance program. "They're offering us the opportunity to have seniors call in and talk to the counseling students for free," Cobb said.