The spread of COVID has forced some changes in the way Community Partnership on Aging provides for seniors. One of those changes comes in the popular hot lunch program. Seniors who get food on Tuesdays from the Lyndhurst Community Center, shown here, will continue to do so on Tuesdays, while others, instead of going to their community's center, will pick up frozen entrees curbside at the Highland Heights Community Center.
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — As it is doing with many things, the Omicron COVID variant is playing havoc with scheduling at the Community Partnership on Aging.
Executive Director Wendy Albin Sattin said the nonprofit’s popular CPA Connects program is being put on hold, and its daily lunch program for seniors has been altered. As of Monday (Dec. 27) in-person activities at the South Euclid Community Center, 1370 Victory Drive, CPA’s headquarters, have been temporarily halted.
CPA serves seniors in six communities — South Euclid, Lyndhurst, Highland Heights, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield Village and Richmond Heights — by offering a number of free services, including a daily lunch program, a program that makes seniors’ homes safer, another that helps seniors travel to appointments, and others.
“The program we call CPA Connects is doing well,” Sattin said. “We received funding from the Cleveland Clinic for one of our sessions. We’re very excited to be partnering with the Cleveland Clinic on that. Unfortunately, because of the current COVID situation, our January classes are on hold.”
CPA Connects sessions, held at the South Euclid branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, 1876 S. Green Road in South Euclid, teaches seniors to use new technology. CPA Connects has already held two sessions, on the use of smart phones and on Chromebooks.
“We’ll be able to resume as soon as the Cuyahoga County Libraries re-open,” Sattin said. “The classes meet once a week and, depending on the topic, they’re either a six-week session or a four-week session. They’ve been full and we’re holding waiting lists, so I think we struck a nerve (in terms of popularity).” Coming session topics include the use of Android phones and Apple products.
The sessions’ class limit is 12 students. Because there is already a waiting list, Sattin said it is likely that topics already covered will be revisited for new students.
“We’ll do sessions and classes as long as there’s a demand and we have funding to support it,” she said. Those 60 and older who would like to get a spot on the waiting list should call CPA at 216-291-3902.
Changes in lunch program
“We canceled all in-person activities for at least the first couple weeks in January,” Sattin said. “We are doing curbside distribution of five frozen entrees (one for each day of the week). The new site will be Highland Heights (Community Center, 5827 Highland Road), on Fridays.
“The community lunches (normally served at the various member community centers) are suspended for a couple of weeks, so we’re going to replace them with the frozen entree drive-up.”
Sattin said that, currently, 80-90 people are picking up food curbside at the Lyndhurst Community Center on Tuesdays, and those people will continue doing so. But, because the Lyndhurst pickup site cannot handle more people, all others who wish to get entrees and who are not yet registered as part of the system should pick up food at the Highland Heights Community Center. “This will replace the usual hot meal lunches,” she said.
Those 60 and older who would like to be part of the free Community Lunch Program should call 216-650-4029 to reserve entrees. Reservations must be made at least one week in advance of pickup day.
Sattin said that another program, the distribution of fresh produce called Produce Plus, will continue to be held from 10-11 a.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the South Euclid Community Center. There is no age limit for contactless Produce Plus pickup. Those who would like to pick up produce must register, but registration can be made at the time of pick up.
There are income requirements for Produce Plus participation. The monthly maximum income for a household of one is $2,146, while a household of two people must take in less than $2,903 per month. Income requirements are set by the Greater Cleveland Foodbank.
Sattin said she is hoping the COVID-induced changes will only last the first half of January, but said that CPA is telling those it serves that they could last through the end of January.
Construction at community centers
To further complicate matters, Sattin noted that, in February, three of the members’ community centers will be shutting down for construction work.
The South Euclid Community Center will have items such as new flooring, wall coverings and an HVAC system installed. Mayfield Heights’ Ross C. DeJohn Community Center, 6306 Marsol Road, will be closing in advance of its demolition, which will lead to the construction of a new community center on the same site.
Also, Mayfield Village uses the kitchen in its Civic Center for CPA food preparation. The village’s Civic Center will also be undergoing renovations early in 2022.
Sattin said that CPA is in the process of determining how those closings will impact the schedule of activities and will announce changes sometime in January.
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