Novato - Current Activities

Dear Members and Volunteers,

Communications re Coronavirus 24th March 2020
(previous Coronavirus communications can be found under Newsletters)

On March 19, the Governor issued an Executive Order ordering “all individuals living in the State of California to stay home or at their place of residence” except in specific, limited circumstances. There is no end date for this order, so it looks as if we are all going to be staying indoors, washing our hands a lot, and practicing social distancing for quite some time. This is a serious and unprecedented situation—and, unfortunately, our new normal. We hope you all are taking it very seriously.

HOW ARE MARIN VILLAGES AFFECTED?
The physical office closed. We have now closed the office for visitors. Diane and Peter will be working from home. BJ will continue to work in the office, at least for now, but no visitors allowed! However, aside from this physical change in office operations, we are still answering phones and responding to emails and working with members and volunteers as best we can, given the limited services we can provide at this time.

Volunteers. We love our volunteers! Many of you have called to say you want to continue to volunteer whenever possible. Member requests are still being picked up almost immediately and we are actively recruiting new volunteers to help with the limited in-person emergency services we continue to provide.

That said, because of increasing health risks as new cases are confirmed in Marin, we are asking our volunteers who are over 65 to consider very carefully whether or not to accept an assignment that involves leaving their home. As young as we may feel, biology is a different matter. After age 50 our bodies’ protective immune systems begin to deteriorate. This is true whether or not we exercise, eat right, feel great, and “never get sick.”

Members. We are considering ways for our members and volunteers to stay in touch by increased phone and email activity, and we are also looking into opportunities to move some of our activities online—via group emails, or computer video calls, or invitations to participate in webinars offered by other groups. If you have ideas you’d like to pass along or want to help with this effort, please call or email the office to indicate your interest, or let us know about your expertise in technology that could help. info@marinvillages.org

We are still accepting new members, so if you know of anyone who might be interested in joining, please have them call the office at (415) 457-4633.

We are also offering the option for members to request a regular or periodic brief “touch-base” or “check-in” by phone. You can call the office to make a request and it will be posted on the dashboard. This is similar to the companionship visit option that we have also moved to a phone-call visit, but the touch-base call is intended to be shorter and more specifically directed to checking in to see how a member is getting along.

MEANWHILE...

Census. Don’t forget to respond to the census! You should have received, or will shortly, the letter requesting your participation in the census. You can fill it out online, or phone in your responses to (844) 330-2020. Instructions will be in the letter you receive. This is a very important duty for all of us, regardless of whatever else is going on around us. Millions of dollars are at stake for Marin County.

Be Alert to Scams. Emergencies bring out the best in some, and the worst in others! It may be harder for us all to ignore scam emails and calls, and especially those robocalls since we’re at home all the time. The Federal Trade Commission is already aware of scams out there falsely indicating there is a medicine that will protect you from, or cure you of, COVID 19. These may request money to put you “first on the list” to receive the medicine, or even promise to ship it now. DO NOT BELIEVE any such request. Here are a few tips that may be helpful in general:

Don’t answer the phone if you don’t recognize the number; let it go to voicemail. You can return the call later if it was from someone you want to speak with.
Hang up quickly if there is a brief pause between the time you pick up and someone starts to speak. These are usually robocalls.
Check the “from” line of any suspicious email you receive to make sure it is coming from the person indicated. The name might be familiar, but the email address may be sending you to a different person.
Don’t open attachments from anyone you don’t know well.
NEVER respond to requests by phone or email requesting money or gift cards or your social security number or bank or credit card numbers.
Be ESPECIALLY WARY of urgent requests.
Talk to a friend or family member before you respond to any request to send money or give out information.

CLOSING NOTE
Be Kind to Yourself. We hope you will take the time to savor whatever good news you can find. Cherish the time you have now to spend talking to friends and family by phone. Set about cleaning those messy closets or desks and start catching up on all the books and magazines that have been piling up. We all need to stay informed of virus developments (see links above), but we don’t have to do that 24 hours a day! If you feel the need for company, call or email the office and we’ll have a volunteer call you!

Our thoughts continue to be with all of you as we go through this difficult time together.

Peter Lee, Interim Executive Director, Marin Villages
Cherie Sorokin, President, Marin Villages

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Marin Villages is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization • 415-457-4633 • info@marinvillages.org •
4340 Redwood Highway, Suite F-142 San Rafael, CA 94903