Receiving phone calls from elderly clients who just want to talk is not unusual for community-based organizations like JASA (Jewish Association Serving the Aging). But the calls these days are more frequent and anxious.

In this new environment, home food deliveries are critical for the vulnerable senior population. However, meal deliveries are only half the battle.

Organizations like JASA also serve the important function of checking on the physical and psychological well-being of the elderly who are homebound and alone. The pandemic amplifies that facet of their services—a task that’s made more difficult because of coronavirus safety guidelines. Instead of home visits, JASA stays in touch with its clients mostly by phone.

Like JASA, Brooklyn-based Heights and Hills, which serves more than 5,000 seniors each year, is adapting to the new environment.

Read more in Bklyner.