Tag Archive for: covid-19

Ways to Connect While Staying at Home

As you know, staying at home and avoiding crowds is necessary to prevent the spread of coronavirus, but it can lead to difficult emotions. If you or a loved one is starting to feel the effects of being confined at home, try these suggestions for connecting with others during the outbreak.

  1. Schedule virtual visits with friends and family.
    • With apps like Zoom, Google Hangouts, and HouseParty you are able to live chat with the people that mean the most to you from anywhere in the world!
  2. Play your favorite games online.
    • Using sites like Arkadium.com or apps downloaded on your smartphone, you can play your favorite games.
  3. Attend virtual events.
    • Sites like Facebook, Youtube, and AllEvents.in offer the capability to hear about live streamed events from around the world that you can watch from the comfort of your own home.
  4. Communicate the old-fashioned way.
    • If you don’t have access to smartphones or computers, consider sending a hand-written letter or card to loved ones instead. If you like to volunteer, letter-writing can also be used to spread messages of hope. There are a number of different nonprofits that are accepting letters to send to people all over the world.

Finding ways to stay connected with others during the Coronavirus can be challenging. Try using these strategies to feel less isolated and to stay connected with loved ones and others around the world.

Sources: EraLiving.com | Gero.usc.edu

Virtually Together – A COVID-19 Update

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Since the Coronavirus outbreak, Alleghenies United Cerebral Palsy has quickly adapted to the changes that came along with it. We continue to follow guidelines set by our government and affiliate agencies to ensure the health and safety of our participants and employees.

As of May 1st, our staff continues to work from their homes with limited staff rotating office days, as needed. Our Service Coordinators were already working from home the majority of the time and were prepared to continue doing so. All other staff have been provided resources and equipment to work from home with little to no disruption in their day-to-day jobs.

As you may have noticed, we have increased our weekly phone calls in effort to ensure that each participant has a backup plan for emergencies and to ensure health and safety. To meet the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) and Managed Care Organizations (MCO) required calls, the agency hired a few temporary Intake Specialists to assist with completing calls.

Although our day-to-day may look different, our mission does not change; to assist our participants in meeting their basic needs, enhancing their quality of life, and promoting their independence. Our participants’ health and safety is our main focus and as an agency we take pride and seeing this happen. The MCO’s have provided positive feedback about the way we are handling the new guidelines set in place. We are very proud of the hard work our staff does at all times, but especially in our current circumstances.

As an agency we are prepared to face whatever the future holds. We continue to monitor incoming news, learn how to best respond, and implement changes that will best support our participants and employees. Should you have any questions or concerns, we encourage you reach out to your Service Coordinator or by call the main office at 1-844-819-4455 to speak to a Programs Coordinator.

For state updates regarding COVID-19, go to www.health.pa.gov.