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Generations’ Column for December 5, 2020

COVID-19 VACCINE TRIAL SCAM ALERT!  If you receive a text offering any amount of money to take part in a clinical trial for the COVID-19 vaccine, IGNORE IT!  These scammers are using this as a ploy to get your bank account information; they then provide you with a bogus location to receive your “vaccine.” Do not be fooled – stay alert!

GENERATIONS JOINS NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS OF SOCIAL ISOLATION AND LONLINESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS AND CAREGIVERS

The holidays will look a bit different for many of us this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and interact with one another. For many older adults, this can mean a loss of social connections that, if left unaddressed, can have serious negative mental and physical health consequences. This is why Generations is participating in Home for the Holidays, a national campaign led by the Eldercare Locator and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), this year in partnership with the University of California, San Diego Center for Healthy Aging. Launched every year during the holiday season, Home for the Holidays is intended to help families and friends discuss difficult topics with their loved ones. A new consumer brochure is the focus of this year’s campaign, Staying Connected and Healthy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Resources for Older Adults and Caregivers, which highlights the importance of social connection, its impact on our physical and mental health—and ways the Aging Network can help older adults connect to their communities during this time of limited in-person social interactions. The Staying Connected brochure can be found online at n4a.org.  Generations can connect consumers to programs that provide a variety of ways to stay connected to others in their communities, including volunteer opportunities and health aging workshops.  For more information on Generations volunteer programs and healthy aging workshops, please contact Cathy Jones at 812-888-5159.

PECANS FOR SALE:  Generations' Retired and Senior Volunteer Program is, once again, selling pecans for all of your holiday baking needs!  These pecans are fresh from Georgia from the most recent pecan crop.  Prices are $10 per bag with your choice of either a 12 oz. bag of small pieces, or a 12 oz. bag of halves.  Money raised from these sales support projects that benefit our local community such as Children's Vision Screening, Little Elves Workshops, Love-A-Bears, Pet Pad Program, etc.  Please contact Generations at 1-800-742-9002 to arrange purchase and pick up.  We are located in the Zella Young Building on the campus of Vincennes University, 1019 N 4^th St., Vincennes, IN.  Please call the office when you arrive and a staff person will bring your pecans down to you. Thank you!

IT IS TIME AGAIN FOR BUILD-A-BASKET:  This holiday season, Generations is sponsoring its 12th annual Build-A-Basket project to help provide for the basic needs of Generations’ clients while bringing them some holiday cheer. Generations serves older adults in Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Knox, Martin and Pike counties. These individuals are on fixed incomes and often cannot afford the everyday necessities that many of us take for granted. This project is open to schools, churches, businesses and individuals. Just purchase a laundry basket or tote and fill it with items such as dish soap, deodorant, toothpaste, etc.  Many individuals also decorate their baskets to make them more festive. A list of suggested basket items, as well as list of drop-off sites is available on the Generations’ website at www.generationsnetwork.org and on the Generations’ Facebook page.  You may register your basket online by following the link on the website or Facebook post.  Baskets must be completed and dropped off no later than December 11^th.  Generations’ staff and volunteers will deliver the gift baskets. For questions, or to register your basket by phone, please contact Alma Kramer at 812-888-4527, toll-free at 1-800-742-9002, or by e-mail at akramer@vinu.edu.

GENERATIONS MAGAZINE:  Our magazine is geared toward adults in pre-retirement and retirement years and promotes active aging and preventive health. It is published three times a year and is free to subscribers.  All we need is your name and address. If you would like to receive future copies of the magazine, contact Brenda Hancock at 812-888-5146 or bhancock@vinu.edu.

Generations, Area 13 Agency on Aging & Disability, is a program of Vincennes University’s Community Services Division.  Our agency connects individuals and caregivers to community resources and options for long-term care and in-home services.  For more information, call 1-800-742-9002 or 812-888-5880 or visit our website at www.generationsnetwork.org