HENRICO, V.A. – U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger hosted a telephone town hall with local experts and officials from AARP Virginia and the Virginia Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services to discuss the current challenges facing Central Virginia seniors and caregivers, as well as resources available to them as the COVID-19 crisis continues.

During her public telephone town hall, Spanberger delivered a brief update and answered questions about her work at the federal level to address senior health issues — including her continued efforts to secure federal funding for nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Central Virginia and across the country. Additionally, the event featured updates from Jim Dau, State Director, AARP Virginia; Kathryn Hayfield, Commissioner, Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services; and Joani Latimer, State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services.

More than 4,700 Central Virginians tuned in to participate in Spanberger’s public, virtual town hall. Click here to listen to a full audio recording of the event.

“The COVID-19 crisis has presented disproportionate risks to Central Virginia’s seniors, and it has created extremely stressful situations for their families. In these uncertain times, I know that reliable information is extremely important as we work to keep our families and our neighbors safe,” said Spanberger. “During our telephone town hall, we heard from local experts who provided up-to-date information to our district’s seniors and their loved ones, and I’d like to thank them for their commitment to our most vulnerable neighbors. Going forward, I’ll keep fighting for the urgent assistance our seniors need at this time, including aid to those in our nursing homes and assisted living facilities that have been hardest hit — and I hope all Central Virginia seniors will know that they can always reach out to my office if they need help or additional resources.”

“Calls like this one are critically important for the people of Central Virginia to stay informed and make their voices heard,” said Jim Dau, State Director, AARP Virginia. “For anyone who may feel frustrated that ‘staying safe’ too often means ‘stuck at home,’ come visit www.aarp.org for opportunities to connect with others, get some exercise, and have fun.”

Thursday’s telephone town hall was Spanberger’s fifth free, public telephone town hall since the coronavirus pandemic began in the United States. Earlier this month, she hosted her fourth COVID-19-focused telephone town hall to discuss how the coronavirus crisis is creating challenges for Central Virginia small businesses, healthcare systems, and workers. Click here to listen to the full event.

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