On the sidewalk in front of the San Francisco Department of Public Health on Thursday morning, a dozen or so activists stood holding yellow signs reading “Isolation kills, too!” Julie Schneider, the field service coordinator for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, was one of these advocates for residents of facilities like nursing homes, who have been calling for in-person visitation in long-term care to resume promptly. “Civic” spoke with Schneider and volunteer ombudsman Richard Correia at the demonstration. “If you spend enough time around people that are in the end stages of their life, there are things that keep them going. And then there are times when, you know, they lose the will,” Correia said. One of those things is seeing loved ones, he said.
“Civic” Podcast
With Increased Isolation Comes Increased Risk of Being Scammed
Fear, uncertainty and isolation, pervasive during the coronavirus pandemic, present an opportunity for malicious actors to deceive consumers into revealing private information, buying fake products or falling to fraudulent schemes and sending money.
Aging
Elder Advocates Warn of Coronavirus Scams
Phone and email scams are nothing new, but crises create an opportunity for those who prey on fear, and during the coronavirus pandemic, variations on old scams have cropped up that target the vulnerable.
Neighborhoods
Coronavirus Spurs Neighbors in S.F.’s Sunset District to Create Mutual Aid Society
In less than two weeks,a well-meaning post in a neighborhood Facebook group has evolved into an extremely organized support system for an entire community during the time San Francisco’s COVID-19 shelter-in-place order is in effect.
Coronavirus
Tech Firms Could Keep Seniors Safe in Coronavirus Lockdown by Funding Connectivity
Guest opinion: Low-income San Francisco seniors are facing a connectivity crisis as well as a health crisis. For most Bay Area residents coping with the mandate to shelter in place as the coronavirus spreads, home internet access, devices and software platforms enable us to work from home, communicate with family and friends, use telehealth services and stay informed.
Aging
‘Master Plan on Aging’ Seeks to Provide Dignity for Seniors
Seniors have become an increasingly prevalent demographic in California. For every adult age 65 or older, there were previously five people under the age of 15. Now the ratio is almost 1-to-1. In response to this demographic shift, Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for a “master plan on aging” to ensure elders have the care and support they need to age with dignity. Leading Age California, an organization that represents nonprofit senior living and service providers, has been pushing for such a plan. CEO Jeannee Parker Martin shares some insights into what the plan must consider and what its priorities could be.
Aging
Counting the City’s Homeless: A First-Hand Account From the Streets
Point-in-Time counts are “snapshots” of a city’s homeless population, relying on volunteers’ perceptions of homelessness. As such, the surveys are prone to error. They also fail to gather specifics about age and ethnicity, and don’t provide a full picture of the most vulnerable growing populations: infants and the elderly.
Aging
As Shelter Wait Times Soar, Older Homeless in Limbo Daily
The wait time for an emergency shelter bed for homeless San Franciscans has hit a record high, as growing demand outstrips availability, city records show. Among those waiting weeks on the list recently were someone 97 years old and three people in their 80s.
2016 Non-partisan Voter Guide
Proposition I: Creating a ‘Dignity Fund’ for Services for Seniors and Disabled Adults
This Charter amendment would create a “Dignity Fund” dedicated to annual, mandatory spending on services for seniors and adults with disabilities.
The Board of Supervisors voted 9-2 to put this initiative on the ballot.
Aging
Little old ladies set up shop selling ‘free’ food on streets of S.F.
With the Heart of the City Farmers’ Market gearing up across the street at 8:30 a.m. on a recent Wednesday, six elderly Asian women line up their wares across the front of the Grant Building and entreat pedestrians, calling softly: “Buy. You buy.” Canned Bartlett pears, bagged carrots and onions, boxes of Land O’ Lakes American cheese, packages of whole-wheat bagels, jars of Algood peanut butter, dried beans, sesame crackers and squat cans of evaporated milk were neatly displayed at their feet, along with grape juice and orange juice in plastic liters — clearly food obtained from community agencies’ free distribution programs.
Aging
Chinatown death triggers worries about isolated seniors
A tragedy happened in San Francisco’s Chinatown in mid-April. Yee-Shui Mar, 91, fell from a window in her apartment building. The Chinese-language newspaper Sing Tao Daily reported that Mar, who was from Taishan City in Guangdong province, lived alone. She had a married daughter and grandchildren living elsewhere.