Learn how to navigate the world post-vaccination

SAN DIEGO –With each passing day, vaccinations are being distributed and California is slowly opening back up. Older adults, who so often were categorized as a high risk population to contract COVID-19, are receiving their vaccinations and are now able to venture out, with some doing so for the first time since the pandemic began a year ago.

The community is once again facing another new normal, which can bring about many questions and fears. To help overcome this new challenge, nonprofit San Diego Oasis will host a free online community conversation in collaboration with Sharp Healthcare and West PACE Friday, March 26, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. This is a free event, but registration is required. To register go to http://san-diego.oasiseverywhere.org.

“As the pandemic becomes less dominant, many people, especially our older adults, have many questions that have yet to be answered,” Simona Valanciute, president and CEO of San Diego Oasis, said. “We want to ensure our members and other older adults in our region and around the country feel safe and prepared to journey back out into the community and meet with friends and family. We’re excited to team up with like-minded individuals and local organizations that also work hard to support and empower our older adult community.”

Who are the panelists and what to expect

Valanciute will moderate the virtual panel discussion with professionals and field experts who will provide insights, perspectives and answers to the question “What now?”

The panelists will be Ken Druck, bestselling author of “Courageous Aging” and expert on resilience; Dr. Daniel Hoefer, family physician at Sharp Healthcare; April Hall, registered nurse care coordinator at Gary & Mary West PACE – Program of All-Inclusive Care.

The webinar will reflect on and review the past year, and how it challenged the older adult community, as well as discuss what we face now as the pandemic becomes less dominant.

Attendees will have an opportunity to talk about their fears, experiences and mourn their losses during this challenging year. The panelists will also discuss the best approaches and plans to prepare for reopenings and what it will look like for older adults even once vaccinated.

Why this topic is important

Everyone has a parent, grandparent, neighbor, friend or family member who has been isolated and alone during the pandemic. But when other senior recreation programs closed their doors, San Diego Oasis never slowed down.

The nonprofit moved all of its classes online successfully, quickly becoming a “senior center without walls,” offering hundreds of workshops to combat social isolation among older adults and to encourage community, connection and conversation.

San Diego Oasis knew how critical it was to keep older adults moving and stimulated during such an uncertain time and by shifting its classes online, San Diego Oasis has attracted an audience from all over the U.S., not just San Diego, and is also hosting instructors from world-class institutions.

The nonprofit works year-round to change the way people experience aging and encourages older adults to pursue meaningful lives through education and service, as well as strives to provide engagement, learning and peer communication to the older adult population to keep them active, healthy and involved in the world.

For nearly 40 years, San Diego Oasis has been the pioneers of senior engagement and are the best at it. Through its upcoming online community conversation, the organization hopes to provide relief to older adults that are curious, nervous or excited to explore the community once again.

“Many more people need to be vaccinated and it may take a while longer to reduce the threat that the COVID-19 virus has posed for a year, but we will continue to progress and encourage our older adults to remain hopeful and confident as we transition into the next phase of the pandemic,” Valanciute said. “We want older adults throughout our region to know they’ve never been alone and that San Diego Oasis is here to help keep them connected, engaged and independent.”

Learn more at http://www.SanDiegoOasis.org or call 619-881-6262.

Submitted by San Diego Oasis.