Oregon Senior Center 2020 Impact Report:   Below is an update on the Oregon Area Senior Center.  If anyone has questions or knows of a senior in need, please reach out to the Oregon Senior Center 608-835-5801 Oregon Senior Center Village Information  Oregon Area Senior Center Blog 2020 Oregon Area Senior Center Impact Report Hello! It is time for an update from the Oregon Area Senior Center, to let you know what we have had available to your residents in recent months, and what we expect to see in the next few months. The Center continues to provide home delivered meals five days each week, as well as drive-through pick up meals at Ziggy’s on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  All meals are donation-based, with people being asked to donate what they can afford.  These meals are supported by Federal and County funding—no local taxes pay for the cost of this food.  The Center also continues to work with the County to provide grocery delivery and food pantry delivery to seniors.  These “touchless” programs make sure all seniors have access to the food they need without needing to risk going out if they would prefer not to. With vaccines now available to seniors, the staff has been working with people to make sure they are able to get vaccine appointments scheduled if they want to receive the vaccine.  We are working in partnership with Dane County to make sure people have access to transportation to get to those appointments.  We are also working with the County to get vaccines to seniors who are unable to leave their homes without great effort, to enable them to receive their vaccinations at home. Our case management/outreach workers have been working with local older adults throughout the pandemic, and that continues.  They have been addressing issues that are always present—housing, financial challenges, Medicare questions and the like—but also seeing an increase in people needing support with mental health issues. The Adult Day Program here at the Center is open and running three mornings each week, as usual. Foot care is being held twice monthly.  The medical equipment loan closet is available for people to borrow equipment.  Educational and entertainment programming, as well as exercise classes, are being held virtually.  In addition to Zoom programs, there are a number of programs available for people to attend via free, local conference call. In April we hope to open the Center up for some small group activities if current public health guidelines permit.  If that goes well, May will see a few more activities scheduled.  Summer will hopefully allow us to schedule some larger group activities outdoors—hopefully with Mother Nature’s cooperation. Our 2021 budget contained funding for a full-time administrative assistant to start April 1, but we are just beginning that process and expecting to fill that position beginning August 1 instead. I have prepared the Center’s 2020 Annual Impact Statement, and would be happy to provide that to you if you would like.  I have traditionally presented that at the Town’s Annual Meeting, and would be glad to do so again, if you will advise me as to your plans in that regard. I am hopeful that we will have a meeting of the Senior Center focus group as the weather warms—perhaps outdoors?  As always, thank you for your support of the Center and its mission, and please reach out with any questions you might have, Rachel   Rachel Brickner, Director Oregon Area Senior Center 219 Park St. Oregon, WI 53575 608-835-5801 (p) 608-835-9299 (f)   rbrickner@vil.oregon.wi.us