November’s Aging Insights Addresses  “COVID-19: Now What?” Part 2 

Hear from a Physician, Educator, NJ’s Foster Grandparent Program Coordinator & a Foster Grandparent.  

TRENTON, NJ (October 30, 2020) – Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and people are reporting that they’ve become “COVID-19 weary.” Older adults with health issues still wrestle with staying isolated indoors vs. wanting to be among family, friends and neighbors. In New Jersey, students are learning in schools and at home, and more businesses are cautiously reopening. Now what?

NJ Foundation for Aging’s Melissa Chalker, host of the award-winning TV program Aging Insights, sought answers to that question from a diverse group of experts in the field of aging. The result is a two-part episode of Aging Insights, titled “COVID-19: Now What?” Launched in 2011, Aging Insights can be viewed on NJFA’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/njfoundationforaging/, along with its website and more than 70 public-access stations across NJ (check local listings for channels and times).  

Part 2 of “COVID-19: Now What?” (Aging Insights Episode 110), now airing, features physician Dr. Joshua Raymond and educator Charisse Smith, Ph.D. – both NJFA Board members – as well as New Jersey’s Foster Grandparent Program (NJ/FGP) Coordinator Lauren Lamin and a Foster Grandparent “Grandma Lulu.”

NJFA Board member Joshua Raymond, MD, MPH, FAAFP, is an Associate Professor at Rutgers RWJ Medical School, and Geriatric Fellowship Program Director at Rutgers RWJ Medical School CentraState. Raymond shares how much has changed with COVID-19 since his first appearance on Aging Insights in May (Episode 104) and what the lasting impact of the pandemic will be. He also addresses the future of telemedicine, noting his facility and others are putting “big money” into video telemedicine in the ICU for after hours.

NJFA Board member Charisse Smith, Ph.D., also serves on the Board of Notre Dame High School. She is an Instructional Coach with the Hamilton Township Public Schools, President of ETE – Excellence Through Education of Hamilton Township and the owner of Sankofa Educational Consulting, LLC. Smith explains the uncertainty felt by staff, students, and families, and notes that communication is key. Reassurance that everything is going to be OK is also important, she adds, as is knowing there’s someone to talk to and support is available.

Lauren Lamin is a Program Coordinator with the New Jersey’s Foster Grandparent Program (NJ/FGP), an AmeriCorps Seniors program. NJ/FGP is sponsored by the NJ Department of State, Governor’s Office of Volunteerism. Foster Grandparents are role models, mentors and friends to children with exceptional needs, she says. The program provides a way for volunteers age 55 and over to stay active by serving children and youth in classrooms and institutional settings. “Students love our volunteers’ affection and attention,” she adds. Volunteers who can’t visit classrooms during COVID help prepare meals or engage with students virtually. Lamin’s guest blog about the NJ/FGP will soon be published on NJFA’s website at blog.njfoundationforaging.org/.

Foster Grandparent “Grandma Lulu,” who is 80, says “I miss the little ones an awful lot,” adding she would give emotional support, encouragement and praise to them every day. Grandma Lulu read a moving poem she wrote about the pandemic and isolation, which includes, “My days are long and boring…”

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New Jersey Foundation for Aging (njfoundationforaging.org) is the only statewide nonprofit organization focused solely on providing leadership in public policy and education to enable older adults to live with independence and dignity in their communities. In addition to its policy leadership role, NJFA produces the award-winning Aging Insights, a monthly half-hour TV program promoting dialogue on critical issues for older adults and caregivers. The show can be seen on NJFA’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/njfoundationforaging/ its website and more than 70 public-access stations. NJFA also presents an annual conference offering development opportunities and best practices for professionals entrusted with caring for seniors.