Zoom together

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sYLgYOQZ3o

During this COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom meetings have given me freedom from commuting and crowds, allowing me to conserve energy and practice physical distancing.  Made judicious use of screen time to engage in some successful advocacy work online (see Age-friendly developments below!) because now is the "senior moment" given focus on older people who are at highest risk for developing severe illness and dying from COVID-19. 

Do you believe in life after lockdown?

I can deal with being by myself…

If we get to level 2

I still don’t want to talk to you

We’ve got Zoom for that

Now there’s no turning back…

--Do you believe in life after lockdown? 

David “The Kiffness” Scott parody of Cher’s “Believe” song 

On June 1, SF began Phase 2 reopening (SF Botanical Garden!) which coincided with curfew in response to violence and vandalism at protests against police brutality after Memorial Day.  After curfew lifted, protestors resumed violence and vandalism, including toppling statues of white men (associated with genocide and slavery, like Cervantes who was a slave) and other structures in Golden Gate Park, and then threw objects at police who did not intervene (no arrests, perhaps providing a preview of what happens after defunding/abolition?).

According to The Washington Post, “Americans are living in a big ‘anger incubator’” due to triple disasters—COVID-19 pandemic, economic fallout, and civil unrest; even prior to this year’s crises, stressed out Americans were getting angrier (underlying anxiety and depression); and unmanaged anger erupts into aggressive behavior against others as evidenced by spike in domestic violence including elder abuse.  UC Irvine Psychology Professor Raymond Novaco suggested these “antidotes” for anger: appreciation (think positivity), affiliation (nurturing relationships), aspiration (“striving to accomplish things that are bigger than yourself or that serve other people”) and basic self-care (sleep, hydration, nutritious food, exercise, avoid harmful substances like alcohol and tobacco, limit media exposure).

When stepping outside of home for “essential activities,” I found positivity with Muni drivers who limited the number of passengers on board to allow for physical distancing, everyone wore face coverings as required by SF DPH order, and buses were clean! However, I was disturbed seeing windows of “essential” businesses boarded up, as protection from violence and vandalism…which could erupt at any time, as tensions and sometimes confrontations occurred over face coverings. 

Health care workers/heroes have been subjected to over 400 incidents of COVID-19 related violence.  Many public health officers found themselves vulnerable to attacks and death threats, including Dr. Fauci, and at least 24 have left their jobs after targeted harassment since COVID-19 pandemic…so hardly see/hear from them anymore. COVID-19 updates with SF DPH Director Dr. Grant Colfax ended last month as SF prepared for reopening. 

Now I listen to Local Coronavirus Update with his brother, emergency room Dr. Drew Colfax, and Program Director Alicia Bales broadcasting from KZYX in Mendocino County (110 miles north of SF; supporters get KZYX Naturescape bandana, pictured above, for face covering!)— so impressed how well he explained all things COVID-19, in an interview, he seems to speak more realistically because he’s not a political appointee/politician, and good to listen to callers who want to do right and keep everyone safe.  His sign-off: “Be safe, be kind, avoid confronting those who feel differently about facial coverings.”  Not Zoom together, but old-fashioned talk radio community.

Some public health experts have lost credibility due to inconsistent messaging like backtracking advice about utility of masks in slowing spread of coronavirus, and hypocrisy in advising public to avoid mass gatherings and then condoning mass protests that supported their political views, though lack of physical distancing raised risks for coronavirus transmission. (Shout out to The Intercept’s Glenn Greenwald for his reporting “The Abrupt, Radical Reversal in How Public Health Experts Now Speak About the Coronavirus and Mass Gatherings”; and optional view of his System Update, which is long-winded. Contrast with Dr. Fauci, influenced by his study of Classics: “Precision of thought and economy of expression are tenets that have remained my touchstones to this day, applied to how I think, how I write, and how I communicate with the public.”)   

After SF mandated face coverings in April, SF Police Chief explained that officers were doing outreach to educate public about mask requirements.  Yet, the lack of enforcement is disconcerting, even after Governor Newsom finally ordered wearing masks mandatory in state on June 18. 

  

Due to spike in COVID-19 cases, SF postponed next stage of reopening (hair salons) and canceled polluting July 4^th fireworks show.  Unlike the Bay Area regional shelter-in-place order in March, each county is making its own public health decisions, so people need to research what’s open in neighboring counties. 

UCSF Dr. Bob Wachter believes California leadership acted responsibly, but people got complacent: "Overall, the past 2 weeks are bleak: new cases doubled, hospitalizations ↑43%, ICU pts ↑37%, & test positivity rate from 4.4%→5.5%.”  UCSF epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford gave reasons for COVID-19 surge in California: increase in community transmission (reopening, people not complying with mask orders); institutional outbreaks (prisons, nursing homes); increased testing; and return of Americans, many retired, for medical care as pandemic worsens in Mexico. 

COVID-19 cases have surged in California, Florida and Texas — representing more than 13.6 million people age 65+, or a quarter of the nation’s older adult population! Worldwide, over 10 million COVID-19 cases and over half million COVID-19 deaths.  In a show of American exceptionalism, U.S. leads with over 2.6 million COVID-19 cases and nearly 125,000 COVID-19 deaths—U.S. represents 4% of the world’s population, 25% of world’s COVID-19 deaths.  Suddenly, 61-year-old VP Mike Pence urged Americans to wear masks, practice social distancing and “steer clear of senior citizens.”  Instead of reinforcing/prolonging isolation of “senior citizens,” why not just enforce rule of law requiring distancing/wearing masks to protect all ages?

Physicians talk about care for dying and old people, health equity

Mission Hospice Community Education Manager Susan Barber hosted back-to-back book talks via Zoom:

·       Lucy Kalanithi, Stanford internist MD and widow of Paul Kalanithi, neurosurgeon MD and author of When Breath Becomes Air: What Makes Life Worth Living in the Face of Death (2016).  She shared lessons: advocacy for direct caregiver support and universal family care; Advance Care Plan=act of love (as Paul’s health care proxy, she stressed over making decisions, so he assured her that his last day is not the sum of his life); Paul was clear about remaining mentally lucid to continue writing, and used his medical training to navigate systems like asking for palliative care, understanding effects of treatments like meds, intubation, ventilation, etc.; value of “legacy project” (writing epilogue and preparing book for publication 9 months after Paul died at age 37 of lung cancer) to help process death/grief which can be lonely, stigmatizing; and learning from their 4-year-old daughter to see and accept things as they are. 

·       Louise Aronson, UCSF geriatrician MD, author of Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life (2019), Pulitzer Prize finalist.  She discussed how ageism during COVID-19 pandemic harms older people, such as SF DPH quickly opening test site for protestors while she worked with DPH over 2.5 months to bring testing to nursing homes where people are dismissed as old and frail.  Last year, she started new clinic to engage younger-old with goal to forestall frailty, help age in place, optimize aging.  She avoids burnout by pushing back on system that has doctors spending more time in front of computers for billing than human interaction/clinical care.  She talked about owning old age, “old” is fact of life. Susan observed how COVID-19 has allowed people to embrace natural aging appearance instead of hair coloring; participant Lillian revealed she has her own natural hair color (brown) at age 84. (Wonder if President Trump’s brief display of silver gray hair at end of March was natural before it returned to not-seen-in-nature orange?) 

At COVID Capitalism & the Fight for Health Care Justice & Societal Transformation, Steffie Woolhandler, MD, MPH, FACP, Physicians for a National Health Program co-founder and primary care physician discussed bureaucratic health care system over past 40 years of neoliberalism: growth of administrators outpacing physicians. COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the exploitation of health care workers risking their lives in dangerous working conditions (long hours, no PPE), perpetuation of inequities based on class and racism, inadequate public health response; this crisis presents an opportunity to imagine a new normal that prioritizes health care equity, like Medicare for All!

Generational differences

According to recent Pew Research, Americans of different ages vary in their experiences of COVID-19 pandemic: 

·       Older Americans are more likely to view the pandemic as a major threat to their health, while younger Americans view it as a major threat to their finances. 

·       Younger adults are more likely to report feeling psychological distress during the pandemic.

·       Americans ages 50 and older are more likely to say their faith is stronger because of the pandemic. 

·       Americans under age 50 are more likely to disapprove of the way Trump has responded to pandemic.

“In an Era of Deepening Partisan Divide, What is the Meaning of Age or Generational Differences in Political Values?” Judith G. Gonyea and Robert B. Hudson suggested potential for political transformation with the rising younger generation characterized by greater racial diversity and Democratic leanings (Millennials and Gen Zers more likely to favor government activism—maybe suggesting end of neoliberalism?), pointing out that Millennials surpassed Boomers as the largest voter-eligible age group (32% v. 30%) in 2018, ending Boomers’ four decades of political dominance.

Age factor and COVID-19

"This virus continues to rob old people of their futures — futures they are as entitled to invest with hope and energy as anyone else. Because the elderly are both a hardy and a precarious population — one that is depleted every day even as it welcomes new members to its ranks — it has become easy for some people to treat them as both more and less than human…“They” are us, only with more miles, more wrinkles, more history, more joint pain, sometimes more money, often more knowledge, almost always more perspective. If we’re very fortunate, one day we will become them…”—Mark Harris, “Our Fragile Gerontocracy: Old people have never been so powerful — or, now, so vulnerable,” New York magazine, May 26, 2020 

World’s oldest COVID-19 survivor appears to be Tilahun Woldemichael, an Ethiopian Orthodox monk believed to be 114 years old, according to his grandson in the absence of birth documentation.  After testing positive during a random screening and two weeks of treatment in a hospital, he was discharged to his grandson’s care at home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  His survival is exceptional: United Nations reported that people age 80+ are dying at five times the average rate from COVID-19; and men’s COVID-19 mortality is significantly higher than women. 

According to SF DPH’s COVID-19 data tracker based on 141,346 test results reported: 3,603 positive cases and 50 deaths (35 male=70%; 28 age 81+, 9 age 71-80, 9 age 61-70, 92% of deaths age 60+; 23 Asian, 11 White, 9 Latinx, 5 Black; 1 homeless). 

During this month’s Community Living Campaign (CLC) Zoom meeting, UCSF geriatrician Dr. Anna Chodos called for nominations of SF residents age 80+ for 80 over 80 project (80over80sf.org), which seeks to bring more visibility to the lives of older residents in SF during COVID-19 pandemic.  CLC Executive Director Marie Jobling said project has 30 nominations to date.  Dr. Chodos shared some interview questions:

·       Is there anything you’ve experienced in your life that compares to COVID-19 pandemic, and how did you deal with it?

·       Is there anything that has surprised you about how our community is responding to COVID-19 pandemic?

·       If you could give advice to younger people, or yourself when you were younger, what would it be?

Many younger people are not heeding advice and large group of millennials have not yet woke to calls for collective caring during COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Now to our older population and those with pre-existing medical conditions.  Everyone in the household needs to focus on protecting them… I want to speak particularly to our largest generation now – our millennials…they are the core group that will stop this virus.”—Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator and Boomer mother of two millennial daughters, Mar. 16, 2020 

Four months later, younger Americans seem to make their mark by saving the economy from coronavirus, increasingly testing positive for coronavirus, and driving record outbreaks in several states. 

During last week’s White House Coronavirus Task Force meeting, Dr. Birx encouraged millennials (age 26-40) to continue getting tested for COVID-19 “because that’s the age group most likely to have asymptomatic spread and be spreading the virus unbeknownst to them.” Dr. Fauci noted that younger people are driving a paradigm shift where people are getting infected in a community setting that is harder to contain—not the classic paradigm of an outbreak setting where you know who to identify, isolate and contact trace. He warned younger people, "If you get infected you will infect someone else… and then ultimately you'll infect someone who's vulnerable…The only way we're going to end it is by ending it together." 

Is it possible for people, who spread coronavirus due to their neglect of public health orders, to be charged with elder abuse/neglect?

Elder abuse

SF commemorated 15^th annual WEAAD via Zoom meeting on Long Term Care (LTC) Abuse in the Era of COVID-19.  Shawna Reeves, Director of Elder Abuse Prevention Program at Institute on Aging, facilitated panel discussion focused on systemic failures that have contributed to over 2,000 resident deaths from COVID-19 in California's LTC facilities—chronic understaffing, low wage, limited/no sick pay.  Prior to COVID-19 pandemic, infection control deficiencies were widespread in nursing homes, with 82% cited in 2013-2017. 

·        Mike Dark, Staff Attorney, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) – related issues of staffing and infection control in nursing homes are key to protect against COVID-19; need to restore safety net of visitors to provide support, advocacy, oversight and protection. 

·       Benson Nadell, Program Director, SF LTC Ombudsman Program – nursing homes reluctant to share family contacts with him to organize Family Council meeting; handle abuse reports using Zoom while social worker held iPad and “interpolated” for resident; abuse reports dropped by 35-40%; focus on neglect, poor discharge planning, psychological/mental abuse from social isolation (perceived by residents as physical restraint)/lack of psychosocial support with residents watching too much news about pandemic and BlackLivesMatter, evictions, families and residents not informed of COVID-19 cases

·       Nicole Howell, Executive Director for Ombudsman Services of Contra Costa, Solano Counties and Alameda – partnered with Contra Costa DPH, Emergency Services and non-profit Choice in Aging to conduct PPE drives and delivered supplies (mask, gloves, sanitizer) to 300 facilities serving 3,000 residents; strategy to build relationship by give little, get to find out ways to support residents; as Steering Committee Member, California Elder Justice Coalition (CEJC) proposed to incentivize frontline care staff to work at no more than one facility during COVID-19 pandemic 

Contra Costa Ombudsman launched Zoom Lunch & Learn series with Collaboration and the Future of Elder Justice with Paul Greenwood, who is consulting after retiring two years ago from heading San Diego District Attorney (DA)’s Elder Abuse Prosecution Unit.  He repeated material that he presented at Elder Abuse conference five years ago.  He encouraged us to be part of “alternative policing” discussions e.g., psychiatric emergency response team (PERT) with trained social worker, psychologist and medical personnel go out with police call to bring about resolution in elder abuse cases.  He also mentioned that older people prefer “elder protection” over elder abuse…but sounds too similar to Adult Protective Services?

Gruesome physical elder abuse reports in SF Bay Area during COVID-19 pandemic:

·       37-year-old live-in caregiver/grandson used ice pick and knife in cannabilizing 90-year-old grandmother Ruby Wallick 

·       53-year-old man used stick to kill 94-year-old Leo Hainzl walking his dog 

·       60-year-old male roommate used baseball bat to kill 79-year-old Yuqin Sun who was videochatting at home 

Elder abuse continues to be underreported, especially if victims do not speak English, which may make them easy targets due to perpetrators viewing them as “silent, vulnerable and unwilling to fight back.”   For these victims who do not want DA to press charges, SF DA Chesa Boudin offers restorative justice, which applied in the case of a 20-year-old who video recorded 68-year man being struck and robbed of recyclables while bystanders mocked him (while taking videos) and security did nothing. 

“I think the most important thing is that we need to have structures available to support aging well. So the more people who age in a healthy way, the less vulnerable or susceptible they are to abuse or neglect. The other thing is the more structures we have in place, social structures, adult daycare programs, social services, food programs, et cetera. That's what we really need to concentrate on. I love my colleagues in APS, but there's not one shred of evidence that APS helps…I think a lot of it has to do with social structure and support for older adults and for caregivers.”-- Laura Mosqueda, MD, Dean at Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and Director of the National Center of Elder Abuse, GeriPal, June 11, 2020 

Lack of support structures makes people vulnerable…all the more reason to advocate for community services with staff as mandated reporters to serve as eyes and ears (video recorders) to potential abuse/neglect.  It’s unlikely Americans would ever adopt China’s practice of legislating and enforcing filial piety, requiring adult children to regularly visit elderly parents, as well as provide mental and financial support or face fines, lawsuits, jail time—as shown in this month’s Dateline documentary, China’s Grey Race. 

Social isolation

During Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on Combating Social Isolation and Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic, UCSF geriatrician Carla Perisonnotto emphasized need to address ageism in treating problem as systemic.

Meals on Wheels America hosted National Social Isolation Summit via GotoWebinar with presentation by Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Brigham Young University.

Younger people report more loneliness and mental distress from COVID-19 than older people.   Panelists shared resources for all ages:

·       Coalition to End Social Isolation & Loneliness (Action Forum on September 9) 

·       Far From Alone 

LTC facilities

At least 54,000 residents and workers in LTC facilities have died from COVID-19, representing 43% of COVID-19 deaths in U.S.  Instead of expressing outrage in crowded street protests and risking coronavirus transmission, Senior & Disability Action members took to Zoom meetings where we could safely bare our unmasked faces on screen.  In just under 5 minutes, we contacted elected officials via phone, email/website, Twitter, Facebook with our demands to pass a state budget that works for seniors and people with disabilities, fund home care and health care, and don’t let people die in nursing homes. 

·       Accountability, Not Immunity for Nursing Facilities: No provider should be granted immunity or shielded from accountability from COVID-19 deaths that happen on their watch. Any additional funds to state nursing homes must come with oversight, compliance with infectious disease containment protocols, and compliance with state-mandated staffing ratios—no more staffing waivers. 

·       We demand Personal Protective Equipment, full testing, paid sick leave, hazard pay, enhanced pay, and robust staffing for these institutions that are under siege.  The vast majority of nursing home workers are women of color.  Failure to provide these endangers the lives of residents, workers, and their families and communities.

·       Cuts to Police and Prisons, not IHSS and Critical LTC Programs for People with Disabilities and Older Adults: We call you, Governor Newsom, to immediately halt ill-timed cuts to IHSS, Medi-Cal, Medicaid, SSI/SSP and other critical services. We know that these budget cuts will disproportionately affect low-income elders, people with disabilities and families of color. We must invest MORE in the health and human service programs that keep people safe, enable them to live at home, and address systemic inequities. Where can that money come from? We must CUT funding to the police and the prison systems, which devalue and endanger the lives of Black and Brown Californians.

Political appointees charged with aging services and elected officials often lack background in gerontology or experience with real older people, and their speeches are self-congratulatory pats on their backs; I prefer to hear from experts and older people with lived experience (public comment via call-in number after Q&A). 

·       June 9 California State Assembly Committees on Health and Aging & LTC held oversight hearing on The COVID-19 Outbreak in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) and the State's Response: A Discussion of What Has Worked, What Has Not, and What Are Plans for the Future?  Appointee Heidi Steinecker reported that California DPH issued 60 pieces of guidance in last 3 months, compared to usual 20 for entire year—like how constructive is that for already overworked/overwhelmed nursing home staff? As part of her 6-point strategy, she proposed “Adopt SNF Model” with surveyors acting as consultants to facilities—which reverts to conflict of interest model practiced before Nursing Home Reform of 1987 enacted to strengthen enforcement! Appointee Kim McCoy Wade of California Department of Aging reported that LTC Ombudsman, prevented from visiting LTC facilities, has seen 43% decline in elder abuse calls. Best testimony from CANHR Executive Director Pat McGinnis who presented 10-Point Plan to Reform California Nursing Homes. 

·       June 10 California Senate Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response hearing on Skilled Nursing Facilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic included repeat appearances from CDPH and Craig Cornett of California Association of Health Facilities (CAHF) seeking industry immunity due to resources focused on hospitals; again, best testimony from CANHR.

·       June 25 House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Lloyd Doggett held hearing on Examining the COVID-19 Nursing Home Crisis. Check out testimonies by Toby S. Edelman, JD, Center for Medicare Advocacy, and David Grabowski, PhD, Harvard Medical School. The Quality Care for Nursing Home Residents and Workers During COVID-19 Act (H.R. 6698) seeks to boost testing among nursing home residents and staff; promote COVID-19 training; provide sufficient PPE; promote transparency through regular reporting of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and needs; set up strike teams to intervene quickly when a nursing home reports a surge in coronavirus cases, etc. 

CANHR launched #VisitationSavesLives campaign to restore visitation at residential LTC facilities. 

Noticed improvement in media reporting about where older people live because nursing homes are different from memory care assisted living.  Example: LA Times reporter, who described Silverado Beverly Place (memory care according to its website) as “posh nursing home” in March article (“At a nursing home for L.A.’s wealthy, coronavirus diagnoses stir anger and questions”), corrected description to “high-end memory center” where 63 residents and staff were infected, and 9 died, in May article (“A nurse died from COVID-19. Her family says elite L.A. care home ordered her to admit a sick man”).  

Some heartwarming media coverage about LTC facilities during COVID-19:

·       Diane Sawyer reported on caregivers in Ohio who temporarily moved into assisted living facilities (their workplaces) for 65 days to protect residents from COVID-19 (another article referred to same assisted living but headline referred to nursing home, “Ohio nursing home staff self-isolated for 65 days to prevent COVID-19 spread. It worked.”) 

·       Brazil nursing home installed hug curtain to allow loved ones to embrace residents based on “hug me curtain,” invented by Louisiana grandmother Kathy Alleman so she could safely hug her parents in April, and modified by 10-year-old who wanted to hug grandmother in Riverside, California. 

When lockdown lifts, hope to be able to resume my research on social work interventions in nursing homes which include exploring culture change; my Institutional Review Board approval has no expiration, so I can wait out this pandemic.

 

Age-friendly developments

·       California Governor Newsom and Legislature arrived at budget agreement to close $54 billion deficit and preserve safety net programs for older adults (at least through next fiscal year end): Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), such as Community-Based Adult Services (CBAS) Adult Day Health Care, Multi-Purpose Senior Services Program (MSSP), and In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS); Medi-Cal Coverage and Benefits; and SSI/SSP maintained at current benefit levels. 

·       California DPH released final 38-page Crisis Care Guidelines for COVID-19 pandemic, reiterating that health care providers may not discriminate based on age or disability of patients when deciding how to allocate scarce resources. 

·       California State Senate approved Senate Bill 1257: The Health and Safety for All Workers Act, to protect domestic workers. Next step to Assembly where it must pass the Labor and Appropriations committees, then to full Assembly for vote, and finally Governor Newsom must approve it.

·       No SF public transit fare increases over next two fiscal years! 

Zoom retirement party!

Goodbye tension, hello pension! Attended my first Zoom retirement party for Robin Meese-Cruz, Director of Social Work at Meals on Wheels SF, who is retiring after 23 years this fiscal year end. I followed in her footsteps in pursuing MSW, and maybe I’ll join Peace Corps (where Robin served in Philippines) next? Party entertainment included The Brady Bunch parody, The Social Bunch!

Since March when SF’s COVID-19 shelter-in-place order went into effect, requests for home-delivered meals services have nearly doubled; almost 40% of MOWSF staff have been working remotely from home.  Construction continued of new MOWSF kitchen, which is set to open later this summer.

Robin’s party invite requested that attendees dress in black and orange—colors of SF Giants, Robin’s favorite team… with my video off, I appeared in black screen 😊 but didn’t see others in requested colors? At in-person parties, you can circulate and have spontaneous conversations; with Zoom, only one person can speak at a time (box outlined in yellow), while chat box allows for side conversations which SFSU gero classmate Lois and I used.

MOWSF Executive Director Ashley McCumber called Robin the "heart of Meals on Wheels."  So true, especially in her hiring social workers who respect older people (many SFSU gerontology grads), and I cannot imagine MOWSF without Robin’s kind and steadfast leadership that involved encouraging social workers to meet our numbers (reporting completed client assessments and impacts each quarter) and lots of advocacy to speak on behalf of homebound clients who were unable to testify at City Hall hearings. Lolita Kintanar (another SFSU MSW alum) continued working with Aging Network after she retired as Director of Canon Kip Senior Center five years ago, and encouraged Robin to do same. 

Robin, who announced her retirement way before COVID-19 pandemic, already has another job lined up, caring for her three grandchildren (granddaughter attended Zoom party with Robin’s son). 

When I received invite for Social Work and the Future of Policing, I thought it might be cool for Robin to join her older son for mother-son team at SF Police, like the 58-year-old father who joined his 28-year-old son at Honolulu Police Department earlier this year.  Robin mentioned when her son was applying to SF Police Department, she brought him to a seminar talk by SFSU MSW alumna Heather Fong, SF’s first female Police Chief (2004-2009), who said “police are just social workers with guns.”  Well, instead of guns, social workers might use motivational interviewing to persuade people to wear masks!

There are concerns that defunding police might mean fewer police to investigate criminal elder abuse cases. 

In Daily Social Distancing Show, host Trevor Noah asked about older black people wanting more police.  Criminal justice expert Josie Duffy Rice explained that, according to James Forman Jr. (Locking Up Our Own), black elders in the late 1980s/early 1990s asked for more police as well as other resources, so defunding police is one way to reallocate resources to community/social services (and middle-class/elite black politicians calling for more police may not represent poor black constituents who are heavily policed and segregated).  The future of policing appears to be a continuum:  8cantwait (harm reduction police reform), defund the police (reallocate budgets to scale back police responses in favor of alternative community solutions like social workers to respond to people who are homeless, experiencing mental crisis and/or substance problem, other nonviolent situations), abolish the police (reimagine world without using violence to respond to violence in truly transformational change), etc.  

I learned from Gray Panthers about 4-hour “Mental Health First Responder Training” hosted by Anti-Police Terror Project (APTP) Sacramento via Zoom, and this ended up being 2-hour orientation about volunteer crisis program operating 12-hour shifts (7 pm to 7 am) from Friday to Sunday, which they want to start up in Oakland.  Orientation could have been cut down to half-hour (if used "economy of expression" like Fauci), but presenters used up time with noise, meaningless profanity—F-bombs spelled out in Zoom transcript, instead of *expletive deleted*--reminiscent of Zoom-bombing so I tuned out, like Zoom un-together. 

27th annual LaborFest goes Zoom in July! More conferences go virtual: International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) conference on July 15-19 FREE!; 55^th annual meeting of Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care (SSWLHC), Oct. 18-20; National Aging and Law Conference (NALC), Oct. 22-23; and American Public Health Association (APHA), Oct. 24-28.