CULPEPER STAR-EXPONENT 

Central Virginian residents are invited to join AARP and state Department for Aging officials on Thursday night for a telephone town hall on COVID-19’s impact on senior citizens and caregivers, hosted by U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger.

The 7th District legislator will welcome updates from Jim Dau, state director of AARP Virginia; Kathryn Hayfield, commissioner of the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services; and Joani Latimer, the state’s long-term care ombudsman with the same department.

Spanberger will deliver a brief update and answer questions about the federal government’s response to COVID-19, including her continuing efforts to secure funding for nursing homes and assisted-living facilities in Central Virginia and across the country.

“As we address this public health crisis and move toward our eventual economic recovery, we must prioritize the delivery of up-to-date information and resources to our most vulnerable populations, their caregivers, and their loved ones,” she said in a statement Tuesday. “This week’s interactive telephone town hall will give Central Virginia seniors the opportunity to ask important questions from the safety of their homes, and they’ll be able to hear updates from those who are fighting for their health and security during this uncertain time.”

To join the interactive town hall from 7:40 to 8:40 p.m., dial 855-920-0555. To listen live to the conversation, visit spanberger.house.gov/live or Spanberger’s Facebook page during the event.

Thursday’s event will be Spanberger’s fifth free, public town hall since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States. Earlier this month, she hosted her fourth COVID-19-focused telephone town hall to discuss how the coronavirus crisis is challenging Central Virginia workers, small businesses and health-care systems. Click here to listen to the full event.