Category: Coronavirus

Vaccines, reopenings preview return to normalcy

March 31, 2021 | By Joe Stumpe

Rita Hephner calls March 31 her “day of freedom.” That’s the date she expected to return to a more normal lifestyle, having passed 14 days since the second of her COVID-19 vaccination shots. And Hephner planned to celebrate. “I’m going to make an appointment at Beau Monde and have a massage,” she said. Across Wichita, […]

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COVID-19 claims at least three long-term caregivers in state

| By Mary Clarkin

Lisa Bramblett had underlying health issues and realized she could die if she caught the novel coronavirus.  The licensed practical nurse, who was the charge nurse overnight at Pittsburg (Kan.) Care and Rehabilitation Center, continued to work as the pandemic rolled through 2020.  “The nursing home was testing everybody twice a week, and she tested […]

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Senior centers, meal sites reopening

March 24, 2021 | By Joe Stumpe

The Downtown Senior Center and three others in Wichita will reopen on a limited basis April 1, more than a year after closing because of the coronavirus pandemic. Numerous congregate meal sites that provide lunch to seniors have also reopened for in-person dining or announced plans to do so. “Everybody is kind of ready to […]

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How to get the COVID-19 vaccine

March 1, 2021 | By The Active Age

Sedgwick County on Friday reduced the age threshold from 70 to 65 for eligibility for COVID-19 vaccinations. Here’s what you need to know to get your jab: HOW DO I SET UP AN APPOINTMENT? Appointments are offered Monday through Saturday and can be scheduled online at https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/covid-19/vaccine-information/covid-19-vaccine-dose-1/ ; those unable to schedule online can call the county […]

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Pandemic’s long-term effects on mental health feared

| By Mary Clarkin

It’s not a good time to be 93 years old, says DeAnn Triboulet, director of the Augusta Senior Center. Triboulet recently talked by phone with a friend that age who has family and lots of other friends but whose social interactions have been limited for health reasons during the pandemic. Many older adults enjoy even […]

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Vaccine roll out not perfect but county officials trying

| By Lacey Cruse

Dear Seniors, The abundance of information around vaccines is confusing and hard to follow. I know there is a problem, and I want you to know there is an entire team of public servants working to administer vaccines we received. We are working for our community so everyone can get back to a life filled […]

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Sedgwick County has vaccine appointments open for residents 70 and older and you can register by phone

February 11, 2021 | By Joe Stumpe

The Active Age Sedgwick County has open appointments for free COVID-19 vaccines for people 70 and older, and those people can telephone for appointments if they aren’t able to register online. The appointments are for next week and beyond. “I know it’s awfully cold” but the county wants older residence to be vaccinated Adrienne Byrne, […]

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Peace work

February 5, 2021 | By Debbi Elmore

When Lakshmi Kambampati arrived in Liberia, the schools had been closed for 14 years due to Ebola and a civil war. It was just the kind of challenge the retired Wichita teacher was looking for when she signed up for the Peace Corps. “I wanted to help and I was looking for adventure,” she said. […]

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COVID-19 vaccine reaches nursing homes

| By Mary Clarkin

The Active Age New Year’s Eve brought a different kind of celebration at the Kansas Christian Home in Newton: Staff and residents received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. “We were ecstatic, absolutely thrilled that we were finally getting a step toward protecting our residents, family, friends, ourselves,” said Donna Hett, assistant director of […]

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Grandparents turn homes into schools

December 30, 2020 | By Matthew Kelly

Gary O’Neal of Bel Aire stood on his deck, the smell of frying bacon wafting up from the grill. He wasn’t just enjoying a leisurely Wednesday evening, though. He was meal-prepping for yet another school day. O’Neal has been retired for almost 10 years. At 73, he certainly wasn’t expecting to go back to school […]

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Snowbirds still flocking south for winter

| By Amy Geiszler-Jones

Retired mail carrier Linda Barnes doesn’t care for dealing with the wind, cold, ice and snow that can mark a Kansas winter. For the fifth year in a row, Barnes, 71, and her 72-year-old husband, George, a retired Wichita police officer, will migrate south to spend the early winter months of the year. The Barneses […]

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