Letter to Chicago's Older Adults from Mayor Lori Lightfoot

Greetings,

I would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of you who joined us and participated in our telephone town hall co-hosted by myself and Chicago Department of Family and Support Services Commissioner Lisa Morrison Butler.

This is a critical time for all our senior residents, and we are committed to continuing to provide you with reliable updates and information so that you can stay safe and healthy during this unprecedented time.

During the call we covered a large amount of information outlining the robust response and the critical resources that AARP and the city have available for you at this time. It is our goal that no residents, especially those that are more vulnerable, go without the goods and services they need during this time. This includes, but is certainly not limited to – food, medicine, care, shelter and more.To date, here are the steps that we’ve already taken to assist our most vulnerable residents during this time:

• Home-delivered meals for seniors who are unable to prepare meals for themselves and have no other way of getting nutritious meals.
• Benefits screening to help determine eligibility for more than 2,500 city, state and federal benefits such as prescription drug coverage, weatherization, energy assistance, taxes, energy assistance, housing options and in-home support services.
• Senior Services and resources for families taking caring of seniors including in-home caregiver respite services, workshops and legal assistance.
• Adult protective services and investigative response to reports of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, confinement and financial exploitation.
• Long-term care ombudsmen advocacy, complaint resolution and rights protection of residents in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.
• Providing professional staff on site when families that care for seniors are away.

Click here for a list of links compiled by AARP Chicago about available information and resources.

And here's a list of stores offering senior hours.

To stay up to date on the most recent information regarding COVID-19 please visit Chicago.gov/coronavirus.

If you need assistance obtaining food, getting in touch with a loved one, or to schedule a well-being check please call 311 or DFSS at 312-744-4016 from 9am to 5pm Monday – Friday.