Dr. Adria E. Navarro

Let’s Partner for Healthy Aging in 2022

As the new year gets underway, being in good health largely remains on many minds. Prevention is the mantra of the day with people reflecting on vaccines, good nutrition, quality sleep and opportunities for activities and movement. To a lesser degree, we focus and ask ourselves, “How well am I attending to my stress these days?” And even when we know we are overloaded with stress, how often do we seek to make changes? Research suggests that untreated stress actually speeds up the aging process, shortening the length of individual DNA strands. This shortened life span is also connected with depression, social isolation and anxiety – conditions all more prevalent since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here at the Community Resource Center for Aging (CRCA) we have been in conversation with community members for more than a year; listening and coming alongside callers, we provide consultation and referrals to local services and supports as a hospital community service. Solutions to stressful situations are the heart of activity at the CRCA. Peace of mind can come from understanding conditions and learning about common experiences, as well as finding appropriate resources to help cope.

Community needs have been especially concentrated around three themes: isolation, family caregiving and grief and loss. Our response, thanks to the support of the Navigage Foundation, has been to expand the CRCA team, providing additional capacity to serve community members in collaboration with our organizational partners.

One-to-one consultations continue to be offered by telephone, through emails and by Zoom. When appropriate, in-person meetings can also be arranged, including some occasional home visits or meet ups in the community such as at our public libraries. In February two multi-session programs are being offered, one for family caregivers of persons with dementia and the other for the grief and loss resulting from a death of someone close.

Savvy Caregivers, in partnership with Alzheimer’s Los Angeles, is a free three (or six) session educational program utilizing Zoom. This evidence-based program aids in communication, management of behavioral issues and more. Caregivers tell us this program provides tools that ease some of their caregiving stress. Multiple dates are available by calling Sara at (323) 451-2699 or emailing her at smikael@alzla.org.

“Grief and Loss: Beyond Blue” is our six-week support group for persons who have suffered the loss of a loved one through death. Grief is the natural response to loss and we know there is no right or wrong way to grieve. We do hear it is helpful to make time to share your grief with others and to remain open to the support you may feel. In time, one learns to live with a loss by moving forward in new and different ways. The group meets weekly on Friday mornings (from 10-11:30 a.m.) at the hospital starting Feb. 4. Register by calling (818) 949-4033 or emailing Adria.Navarro@med.usc.edu.

To learn more about CRCA, please visit online uscvhh.org/aging-resources

Happy New Year!

Adria E. Navarro, PhD, LCSW
Program Manager
Community Resource
Center for Aging
USC Verdugo Hills Hospital