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After helping their own grandparents get vaccinated in Louisville, the two knew there were other seniors in their community who would benefit from a helping hand.
The elderly are in difficulty
Many of the country’s 50 million people over the age of 65 struggle to navigate confusing vaccine distribution plans that can differ from state to state and, in some cases, from county to county. the other.
“I estimate that 10% to 20% are at risk of missing vaccines because they are confined to the house, live alone, have no transport or lack reliable social relations”, Dr Anand Iyer, pulmonologist of the Alabama specializes in care for the elderly said. “Unfortunately, these are the same factors that put them at risk of poor Covid outcomes.”
“I think the most important part of it all is that they (the seniors) know that we are there for them every step of the way,” Beck said. “Everyone has been so lonely, locked up for almost 10 months, so it’s really a relief for them to be able to get the vaccine because they’re so scared.”
Technical support for Covid-19 vaccines
The couple said they completed the entire registration process for their own grandparents because they were having trouble passing the verification processes and authentication steps, “then when we started helping their friends , we realized this was a more common problem than expected. ” Said Teague.
Two weeks ago, the duo created a model, set up a private Facebook page and a hotline for seniors across Kentucky to call if they need help planning their vaccine, dubbed VaxConnectKY.
Soon after the model was created, Teague and Beck’s elementary and high school ended up posting the flyer on their respective Facebook pages and calls started pouring in. Both say they won’t stop until requests are cut.
Cousins do not take sensitive information from anyone themselves; they just guide people through the technical steps.
Seniors without Internet access are a big concern for the couple.
“We give them a phone number to put on a hospital waiting list,” Teague said. “We feel like they value the contact or the point of contact.”
Kate Eller, director of communications and public relations at Norton Healthcare, praised the cousins for their efforts.
“We appreciate these young women for seeing a need and helping to provide an essential and heartfelt service,” she told CNN in a statement. “Their idea of helping seniors in our community register for their COVID-19 immunizations is a great example of true service leadership.
“Technology can be a challenge and we encourage seniors to seek help from friends or family when possible.
Because cousins are hybrid learning, their alternating school schedules allow them to work on VaxConnectKY 24 hours a day. When one is at school, the other takes care of calls and emails.
On days when they’re both busy, Beck said they call people back during their lunch breaks and between classes with the help of their siblings who they’ve also trained to step in if needed.
“We’ve had people calling us, explaining how grateful they are for us to help them get it and now they’re finally able to get it,” Beck said. “It is a good feeling for us to know that we are helping without contributing to Kentucky’s numbers in the cases of Covid-19.”
VaxConnectKY has successfully helped people in New Jersey and Florida, Teague said. They are currently researching how to meet demand from Missouri, although the pair say they no longer have the bandwidth to expand to states outside of Kentucky.
“We want the system to be more streamlined,” Teague said. “There are a lot of hurdles you have to go through to get your date, so I just wish the whole system was easier to navigate.”
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