WESTFIELD – During the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the Westfield Senior Center is offering modified versions of its programs while reaching out to provide emotional support to its members.

Tina Gorman, the executive director with the Westfield Council on Aging, said that the current meal program is a continuation of its regular one during normal circumstances. “Under normal circumstances we were a congregate meal program and people would come in and get there lunch ticket and eat it here,” she said, “What we’ve done is take that program and put it out as curbside pickup.”

She explained that the meals are full sized dinners that would have been served at the Senior Center and April’s menu is available in this month’s edition of the Senior Center’s Voice of Experience Newsletter.

Gorman added that while the center is serving between 80 and 100 people per day, it’s been difficult to predict the exact number each day. “We’ve tried to do a prediction of about how many meals and that’s been a little tricky. When we had the program here at the senior center we knew the most popular meals so it was easier to judge how many people would come in,” she said.

One of the reasons the meals have been popular for seniors is that it gives them a chance to get out of the house safely during the day. “We’re hearing now is that when people are getting meals through us it’s keeping them out of the grocery stores where they feel less safe because there are more people in the store and there’s more contact as opposed to doing it this way,” Gorman said.

She said that the meals cost $3 and interested seniors can call for a meal between 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. and can pick up their meals from 11 to 12.

In order to maintain the current social distancing guidelines and sanitation efforts, Gorman said the meals are carried out on a cart and each of the senior center workers are wearing masks. “We do everything on a cart,” she said, “So we have a bucket they out their money in, we flip the cart around and take the money, and then we put the meals on the cart and flip it around again and they pick up the meals so there’s no hand to hand contact.”

One of the other ways the center helping seniors during this time is through its companion program for its homebound seniors. Gorman said, “We have about 200 people in that program and have identified 25 and 30 people that are most at risk without any family in the area. My coordinator for that program, Joyce Peregrin, has been able to arrange for grocery and pharmacy delivery for a lot of those seniors.”

She added that the program is not currently accepting any new referrals at this time since it is currently operating with a limited staff with many of the volunteers opting to shelter in place to avoid exposure.

Along with offering meals for seniors, Gorman said the center is continuing its medical equipment loan program and reaching out to offer emotional support to its members.

She explained that it has been difficult for other senior centers to continue operating loan programs but she wanted to keep Westfield’s open. “It’s been a huge program here and it’s been very popular all along so as much as I could I wanted to maintain that program. As long we can continue that program, I think it’s really important because there is definitely a need for that.”

Gorman said that the loans are being done by appointment over the phone and the equipment as picked up, dropped off, and sanitized outside of the senior center to avoid as much contact as possible.

She added that as always, the Senior Center’s goal is to make seniors feel safe during this difficult time. “We have to rethink how exactly we are assisting our seniors. The bottom line is always the same that you want them to feel safe and secure, and to know that even though we can’t see them we’re still there for them,” Gorman said.