In an effort to support the safety of our customers, clients, employees and volunteers, the Cass County COA’s has continued to monitor and follow the official recommendation related to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19).  The situation is fluid and ever-changing, so please check back for updates.


Updated Monday, June 8

 

The Cass County will begin expanding some of the programs and activities that were limited due to the Coronavirus shutdown.  For a list and schedule of what programs and activities will be reopening, please visit www.casscoa.org/reopening-coa.

 

Please join our email newsletter mailing list to stay up-to-date.  Join at www.casscoa.org/newsletter-signup

 


Updated Friday, May 1

 

In accordance with Governor Whitmer's "Stay Home, Stay Safe" Executive Order (No. 2020-69), the COA facilities will continue to be closed to the public until at least May 28th.  The COA is continuing to provide carry out meals, Meals on Wheels deliveries and packs of 5 frozen meals.  (For more information about meal options, go to https://www.casscoa.org/meal-options-during-coronavirus).  The COA is also continuing to provide Home Care Assistance to existing priority clients and medical transport to high priority appointments such as dialysis and cancer treatments.

 

Please join our email newsletter mailing list to stay up-to-date.  Join at www.casscoa.org/newsletter-signup

 


Updated Thursday, April 9 - 4:00pm

 

In accordance with Governor Whitmer's "Stay Home, Stay Safe" Executive Order (No. 2020-42), the COA facilities will continue to be closed to the public until at least April 30th.  The COA is continuing to provide carry out meals, Meals on Wheels deliveries and packs of 5 frozen meals.  (For more information about meal options, go to https://www.casscoa.org/meal-options-during-coronavirus).  The COA is also continuing to provide Home Care Assistance to existing priority clients and medical transport to high priority appointments such as dialysis and cancer treatments

 


Updated Monday, March 30 - 9:00am

 

In accordance with Governor Whitmer's "Stay Home, Stay Safe" Executive Order (EO 2020-21), the COA facilities will continue to be closed to the public until at least April 13th.  The COA is continuing to provide carry out meals, Meals on Wheels deliveries and packs of 5 frozen meals.  (For more information about meal options, go to https://www.casscoa.org/meal-options-during-coronavirus).  The COA is also continuing to provide Home Care Assistance to existing priority clients and medical transport to high priority appointments such as dialysis and cancer treatments

 


Updated Monday, March 17 - 11:00am

 

In order to protect the health and safety of seniors in the community, out of an abundance of caution, the Cass County Council on Aging will be temporarily closing its facilities to the public at 5:00pm on Tuesday, March 17th (4:00pm in Dowagiac) due to the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).  Our hope is to open the facilities again on Monday, April 6th, but we will re-assess as we get closer to that date.

 

The Cass County COA will continue to provide a number of essential services during this time, including Meals, In-Home Care, Medical Transportation, and Adult Day Services.

 

Meals

 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO GET MEALS DURING THE CLOSURE

 

Our Nutritionally-balanced Meals on Wheels deliveries will continue to be delivered throughout the closure, using COA staff to deliver the meals.  Additional Frozen Emergency Meals are being delivered in case there are days that we cannot cover all the routes on certain days due to staffing shortages.

 

Our cafes and congregate meal sites in Cassopolis and Dowagiac will be closed during this time.  Congregate meals will be served on a “Take Out” basis. Congregate meals may be reserved by calling the COA the day before or by 9:30 am the day of to request a meal for “take out”.  Seniors can also set up home-delivered meals by calling the COA’s Care Services Department at (269) 445-8110.

 

Additionally, any seniors in Cass County will are planning to self-quarantine as a precaution, the COA can deliver up to 5 frozen Senior Nutrition Services meals free of charge.  For more information about home delivered meals, please contact the Care Services Team at the Cass County Council on Aging at 269-445-8110.

 

In-Home Care

The COA will continue to serve our In-Home Care clients.  In case there are days that we will be short staffed, clients will be prioritized based on need.  For example, clients needing bathing, grooming, transfers, and positioning will be a higher priority than clients needing help with housekeeping and laundry.

 

Medical Transportation

Medical Transportation rides would be limited to only medical appointments identified as high priority such as dialysis and cancer treatments. Other appointments are recommended to be rescheduled.

 

Adult Day Services

We will continue to offer care in our Adult Day Service program for individuals with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia that require constant attention and effort to provide safety, nutrition and continued involvement in daily activities.

 

Please call (269) 445-8110 with any questions or concerns.

 


Monday, March 16 - 5:00pm

 

The Board of Directors of the Cass County COA will be meeting on Tuesday, March 17th to determine the best course of action to protect the health and safety of seniors in the community.  Check back for updates after 10:00am to see how this will impact COA programs and services.

 


Friday, March 13 - 9:00am

 

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is presently characterizing the immediate health risk from the new coronavirus as low, while at the same time Michigan Gov. Whitmer has declared a state of emergency, saying, “We are taking every step that we can to mitigate the virus spread, and keep Michiganders safe." 

 

 

The safety and well-being of our community are our top priority.  In order to maintain a safe environment and address customer concerns, while also recognizing the need for the COA to continue providing needed services in the community, we are taking measures including:

 

  • Increasing the frequency of cleaning and disinfectant procedures with focus on all high-traffic areas in our facilities.
  • Adding additional hand sanitizing stations and disinfectant wipes for customers and employees throughout our organization.
  • Encouraging customers, clients, employees and volunteers to stay home when sick

 

As a reminder, it is important that people take appropriate steps to that care of themselves, including:

 

  • wash your hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitizer
  • avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
  • cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing
  • avoid handshakes
  • avoid contact with sick people who are sick
  • stay home when you are sick

 

 

If any seniors in Cass County will are planning to self-quarantine as a precaution, the COA can deliver up to 5 frozen Senior Nutrition Services meals free of charge.  For more information about home delivered meals, please contact the Care Services Team at the Cass County Council on Aging at 269-445-8110.

 

 

We will continue to monitor and respond to the latest on COVID‑19 with customer and employee safety top of mind. As always, we will strive to create a safe and enjoyable experience at the Cass County COA. Since this situation is rapidly changing, please visit the Cass County COA website at www.casscoa.org or follow us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CassCOA/ for any updates on our programs and services.