In this time of staying at home and social distancing, the Wood County Committee on Aging (WCCOA) has been kept very busy. Although our eight sites around Wood County are closed, we have been able to maintain our staff and to make very effective use of their skills and expertise. Not only have they been working on their own jobs, they have stepped into other roles and situations and have done a tremendous job.
Two questions face the WCCOA. How do we foster resilience and how can we adapt rapidly? The most obvious and biggest challenge has been the continuation of the program to provide meals to our clients throughout the county. While congregate meals are currently not being served, the Production Kitchen is preparing and delivering between 750-800 home delivered meals daily, Monday through Friday. Each week the Kitchen sends out an average of 850 frozen meals for the weekend and evening meals of participants.
Because of supplier difficulties, the Production Kitchen has been making their own frozen meals. The regular routes now are approaching 45 clients each. With growing numbers of participants, three new routes have been created. Staff members from the Wood County Senior Center have been delivering the new routes.
Several weeks ago, the WCCOA pulled together staff and were able to create and deliver 11,200 shelf stable meals (two weeks’ worth of food and supplies for each of WCCOA’s 800 home bound clients.) The overwhelming task was completed with help from local businesses, elected officials, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office, and the City of Bowling Green. The preparation of the boxes, the filling of the boxes, and the delivery was completed with the cheerful assistance of all involved in record time.
The eight sites are currently closed and will remain closed at least until the end of May, but that does not mean the site managers have not been working. Each site has or is continuing to edit site manuals and developed a Rural Route Directions Manual. Each has done a deep cleaning of the site and organization of the site. Several site managers have also taken over delivering home delivered meal.
The Social Services staff have been continuing to provide the same services as before including medical transportation, calling new and continuing clients, and doing wellness checks. They have also taken on added responsibilities such as completing home delivered meal routes and cleaning and sanitizing their work space.
The Programs staff has also been very busy. Obviously face-to-face programs have been cancelled but the staff has been busy with developing at home newsletters, creating online programming using Zoom, and creating home activities for the seniors. The staff is planning for the uncertain future looking to be creative. As other staff members have done, they have assumed different roles to help the overall program by delivering meals, covering sites, and helping with the shelf stable meals.
While all of this has been going on, the actual construction of the new Wood County Senior Center has begun. Mosser Construction has been moving earth and making preparations for digging the basement.
The employees at the WCCOA have continued to be resilient. They have jumped into new roles serving the entire organization while continuing to fulfill their own specific job requirements. The administration, supervisors, and staff are all to be commended for their positive attitudes and ability to adjust quickly to new situations. They have stepped up to meet the challenge in these trying times, never forgetting the goal of serving the senior citizens of all of Wood County. We are blessed to have them.
Eric Myers, President
WCCOA Governing Board
