Aging in Our Community A Message from W. Mark Clark, President and CEO
Heart Health
February is American Heart Month, and in today’s climate, focusing on our health, including heart health, is more important than ever. With rising cases and the threat of COVID-19 still looming in our community, we know that older people, especially those with underlying health conditions like hypertension and heart disease, are more likely to experience serious illness from COVID-19. Here at PCOA, we are doing all we can to promote good heart health while continuing to increase our community’s immunity to COVID-19. This month you’ll find a wide array of class offerings from PCOA, including EnhanceFitness and A Matter of Balance. Our Healthy Living Programs focus on managing our own personal health, staying fit, and maintaining and improving our quality of life. We invite you to join us remotely or for in-person classes with safety precautions in place. Visit our virtual Healthy Aging Center at TheKatie. org to find and register for upcoming classes, as well as health and wellness videos that will help you get moving and decrease your risk for heart disease. We know the pandemic has been tough and that remote classes are not accessible for everyone, nor do they provide the same opportunities for social connection as interacting with others in person. One participant
were able to knock on over 100,000 doors, make over 75,000 phone calls, talk to over 12,500 people, and get commitments to vaccinate more than 8,000 people. Arizona Center for Empowerment did a wonderful job, and we can’t be more appreciative of their work. PCOA is continuing that work to educate and encourage people to get vaccinated, and we need your help. Volunteering to go door to door or make phone calls is the most effective way to encourage people to get their COVID-19 vaccination. We are working to break down barriers, have community conversations, and increase our health. Contact Maddy Bynes at mbynes@pcoa.org or (520) 790-7573 x 1768 for information about volunteering with this important effort. I’m excited to knock on some doors myself. It reminds me of the roots of my career when I started in community organizing in the 1970s. Whatever activities you enjoy, I hope you’ll join me in getting up, getting moving, and keeping your heart
in one of our healthy living classes in his 90s expressed how excited he was to hear that in early fall of 2021 we began offering in-person classes again. He knew and understood the risks of attending an in-person class, but didn’t want to miss out on the social engagement that had made his life so fulfilling up until the pandemic. Balancing the very real wellness benefits of socialization with concerns about physical health and safety has been one of PCOA’s greatest challenges during the pandemic, as I know it has been for each one of us. PCOA’s in-person events follow CDC guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including requiring that participants mask up and remain physically distanced from each other. Safety precautions, coupled with receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot, make participating in in-person events a realistic possibility for so many older adults. Speaking of the COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot, I want to highlight some of the great work we are doing here at PCOA increase our community’s immunity to COVID-19. Throughout the past year, we’ve been working with Arizona Center for Empowerment, a local community organizing group, to organize volunteers to go door-to-door and make phone calls encouraging people to take their COVID-19 vaccinations and get their booster shots. In 2021, in partnership, we
healthy. Be well,
W. Mark Clark President & CEO
February 2022, Never Too Late | Page 3
Pima Council on Aging
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