LEBANON — The leaders of the Grafton County Senior Citizen Council had felt optimistic in the spring. That was when COVID-19 cases in the area were declining and vaccination rates were increasing.
“As the (case) numbers were decreasing in the late spring, early summer, we were making plans for indoor congregate meals and indoor programs and activities,” said Kathleen Vasconcelos, executive director of the Lebanon-based nonprofit organization that oversees eight senior centers in Grafton County including Upper Valley Senior Center in downtown Lebanon and Mascoma Area Senior Center in Canaan Village.
Then came mid-July, when cases started to rise again due to the highly contagious delta variant.
“That completely changed our plan,” Vasconcelos said, adding that, while outdoor activities continue and there have been limited indoor activities, she isn’t sure when the centers will fully reopen. “It’s extremely disappointing.”
The eight senior centers that the council oversees been closed since March 2020, making them the only ones in the region that have not fully reopened for indoor activities at some point since the pandemic began. This is, in part, because the staff look at transmission rates in the county as a whole instead of town by town.
“We’re erring on the side of caution for everyone’s safety and taking the standpoint that safety is our No. 1 priority, making decisions that I feel are in the best interest of our staff and participants and volunteers,” Vasconcelos said.
Grab-and-go meals continue at the senior centers. Sometimes patrons get their meals and eat outside with others. There’s often live music or other programs. Some locations are open for foot clinics, including Lebanon, and for scheduled slots to use exercise equipment.
“Looking ahead to when we’re not able to do that in the fall and winter because of the weather, we’re having conversations about what we can do to bring those programs indoors, whether or not that will include meals has not been decided yet,” Vasconcelos said.
At the start of the pandemic, the state of New Hampshire gave the requirement that congregate meals could resume only if cases were below 50 active cases per 100,000 people.
“While that’s no longer a requirement from the state, as an agency we’re using that as a guide,” Vasconcelos said. There have been 245 cases per 100,000 people over the last two weeks in Grafton County, meaning there is substantial spread happening in the community. All of New Hampshire’s 10 counties are at that level.
Another challenge the senior centers face in reopening is the lack of staff and volunteers. Like other organizations and businesses in the region, the senior centers have struggled to find staff.
“If we’re going to have indoor meals or group activities, we need staff or volunteers to manage that and ensure safety protocols are being followed,” Vasconcelos said. “It’s been a real challenge recruiting not only employees but volunteers, so that’s one of the factors in our decision making.”
Volunteer numbers are also not what they were prior to the pandemic, leading certain centers to pull back on the number of days they deliver meals. In Lebanon, meals are delivered on Tuesdays and Thursdays and in Canaan, three days a week. While the deliveries include meals for the week, not all are served hot, and recipients must heat up frozen meals.
“If we had volunteers that were able to deliver the meals, we’d be able to do that,” Vasconcelos said about delivering hot meals. The lack of volunteers “really affects a lot of different parts of our operations.”
In late spring, the council eased some of its safety protocols when numbers improved in late spring, but now because of the increase in cases, the mask mandate has been reinstated for staff indoors at all times, regardless of vaccination status, and outdoors when in close contact with patrons.
Recently, staff took a survey of grab-and-go meal participants to see how they would feel about coming in for congregate meals. Some would be comfortable at this moment, others would prefer to wait until fall or winter, and some were unsure due to the ever-changing nature of the pandemic. Around 15% said they want to continue with grab-and-go indefinitely.
“It was not a clear majority when we asked that question,” Vasconcelos said.
The council does plan to keep the grab-and-go program going even once congregate meals resume. Additionally, virtual programs have proved popular during the pandemic and will also continue. As staff continue to plan for a future reopening, they’re also looking at what they can do virtually if the case numbers make it too unsafe to reopen in the colder months.
“I do have concerns about getting through another fall and winter and the isolation, how that will affect our participants,” Vasconcelos said.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
