April 13, 2020

Help Seniors Stay Stocked Up During Social Distancing With These Tips

About Brookdale Senior Living

Brookdale Senior Living offers multiple care levels for seniors in more than 600 communities nationwide. Brookdale helps you find the right care plan for yourself or your loved one. With amenities such as transportation services, salons and private dining rooms and activities such as gardening, fitness classes and trivia nights Brookdale caters to a wide range of interests and needs.

Caring woman bringing senior woman groceries

If you’ve got an elderly loved one, making sure they have everything they need to get through social distancing is a top priority. While you may be unsure of how to do that with the concerns of Coronavirus (COVID-19), there are options available. Don't be discouraged by reports of stores being sold out — many retailers are receiving regular shipments and restocking daily, even despite the fact that some people may have over-purchased.

To help you and your family get through this time, we’re sharing a handy list of tips that will help you make sure your senior family members have everything they need, from household items to freshly-prepared meals.

Be Aware of Senior Shopping Hours

To give seniors a chance at getting necessities, retailers have enacted “senior shopping hours.” This is a time where seniors are invited to shop ahead of the general public, designed to reduce potentially contagious interactions. It also allows them to shop more comfortably at their own pace. Below, see a list of popular retailers and their senior shopping times.*

Walmart will open an hour earlier on Tuesdays through April 28 for customers 60 and older.
Whole Foods Market stores will let customers who are 60 and older shop one hour before opening to the public.
Target will reserve the first hour of shopping each Tuesday and Wednesday at stores nationwide for seniors.
Walgreens senior hour is on Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

*Hours may vary by location and regions. Check your store’s website or call for accurate and up-to-date information.

Take Advantage of Online Shopping

Online shopping is a great way to avoid crowds and maintain social distancing. If you or your loved one is concerned about potentially encountering COVID-19 via shipped packages, the CDC stated that there is “likely very low risk” of it spreading through packages that have been “shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient, refrigerated, or frozen temperatures.” You can also shop online for them and have it shipped directly to their home.

Shop and Ship It Yourself

If your loved one is having a hard time finding the essentials they need online, shop for them on your next grocery trip. Make sure to call ahead of your visit to see if the store is stocked up. If you aren’t near enough to do a delivery drop off yourself, pack and ship the items instead. While shopping, remember to practice responsible and considerate shopping — try not to panic shop and keep a six-foot distance from other shoppers. Limit the surfaces you touch and use a paper shopping list rather than your phone – this will help reduce your exposure to transferring viral particles. Use hand sanitizer the moment you leave the store, before you get in your car, and make sure to wash your hands as soon as you can.

Look Up Nearby Volunteers and Volunteer Organizations

If you don’t live nearby, you may be worried about how your loved one can get assistance during this time. Luckily, there are plenty of good people looking to provide whatever aid they can. Many local volunteer organizations and individuals are doing their best to help. Call around and look online to see if there are churches, senior activity centers, volunteer organizations or local businesses providing donations or other assistance during this time.

Try Meal Delivery Services

Many seniors may not have access to enough food or have the ability to cook for themselves. In cases like these, you can turn to meal delivery services that cater specifically to the elderly community. Services like Meals on Wheels and Mom’s Meals are still operating with modified deliveries. Instead of the usual direct drop offs, they are delivering meals on doorsteps to limit contact.

App-Based Delivery Services Are Helpful, Too

Doordash, Instacart, GrubHub and UberEats are all popular apps you can use to get meals delivered right to your family member’s door. Similar to senior delivery services, these platforms are practicing contact-free drop offs. Many small businesses are still operating on a delivery only basis, so in some cases, you’ll be providing for your loved one while supporting a local business.

Our hearts go out to the families and communities affected by COVID-19, and we continue working to provide a happy, healthy environment for our residents — during these challenging times and always. If you want to learn more about our response to COVID-19 visit our FAQ page. Not seeing what you’re looking for? WHO and the CDC are sources for trusted and updated information on COVID-19