The Friends of Indian Senior Citizens Organization (FISCO) of Burlington MA held its first inaugural seminar “The Impact of COVID-19 on Senior Citizens,” on September 14^th at the Burlington Council of Aging. Three speakers, professionals from the Burlington and Belmont Councils of Aging (COA) and a licensed social worker from Jewish Family and Children’s Services, led the seminar. Forty-nine seniors attended face to face, while ten attended on Zoom. Elder citizens were diverse and had many questions. The free event offered a hot lunch to all attendees, sponsored by Minuteman Senior Services as part of their nutrition for elders program.

Marge McDonald, Director, Burlington Council of Aging, and Nava Niv-Vogel, Director, Belmont Council of Aging, noted that there is a serious lack of mental health resources for immigrants especially for people who do not speak English as their first language. Socialization, rather than the use of medication is critical for good mental health and FISCO and the Councils of Aging are playing a critical role in reducing isolation and increasing connections within the community.

Marge noted that “if you go into the Councils of Aging today, you will find that 99% of the people are vaccinated.”

Nava spoke about the need for a holistic approach to dealing with isolation, anxiety and depression among seniors and look at what social, economic, and cultural conditions seniors have to deal with on a daily basis. During the Covid pandemic it became clear that many seniors were not only lonely but also faced food insecurity. The COAs can help. The Burlington COA is a partner agency with the State’s SNAP program and can support seniors with food. There is also financial assistance, Medicare information, transportation, housing, and referrals to psychiatrists, psychotherapists, counseling, and paid caregivers, available at the COA. Holistic approaches are needed to reduce depression and anxiety. COAs can advise families about how seniors can reduce anxiety about finances, and receive guidance about tax deferment and tax exemption programs. They quoted an article from the National Institutes of Health which said that medication is not the answer to addressing mental health problems, socialization and cultural connections to community, and resources and people can do wonders.  The speakers noted that McClean Hospital in Belmont has a geriatric mental health department where your mental health can get tested. Medicare pays for some psychotherapy services. Every community is promoting the mental well-being of seniors which the pandemic has brought into sharp focus and most centers are promoting age at home programs.

Mary Curlew, LICSW, of Jewish Family and Children’s Services, noted that mental health support is the most important factor in senior health. Being with people, and around people, is the reason you remain healthy. Seniors and elders have wisdom which helps them to get through difficult times better than younger people, and the pandemic was not an exception. Jewish Family Services has a variety of resources for seniors and you can call their warm line and be connected to services.

Mary discussed how one can be supported by community. Your Temple friends, people in the yoga and exercise classes, phone and email connections, a good doctor who is kind and patient, can make a big difference. She said, “elders need a sense of purpose to be healthy.” Do not just be the person who gets calls from friends and neighbors, be the person who makes the calls and tries to find out how your neighbors are doing. Music and art also help; listen to music and sing as much as you can. Her organization has a program for seniors to participate in both art and music.

The speakers sent resources for Asian Indian senior citizens to FISCO and the resources will be posted to thefisco.org shortly.

The next seminar, “How to take care of the Elderly in the Community: Best Practices,” will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 9^th at the Burlington Council of Aging and feature a psychiatrist and a caregiver/practitioner. For more information about the event please send email to: thefisco@gmail.com

Please join the seniors vegetarian lunch program held on Wednesday and the chat program on Sunday, and make new friends and re-connect with old ones. FISCO will hold its grand Diwali party virtually on ZOOM on October 23^rd, 2021 for seniors and families. See our website for details and updates. Write to Raman Gandhi, President of FISCO for more information and to join FISCO: ram2005gandhi@yahoo.com or thefisco@gmail.com