SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION
KEEPING KŪPUNA HEALTHY—AT HOME
K
ōkua Kalihi Valley (KKV)—a federally qualified community health center that serves the ahupua‘a of Kalihi Valley—has always defined health as much more than medical care. The organization’s beloved elder program is a lifeline to friends, movement, fresh air, and community. “Everything we do is face to face,” says Merlita Compton, the program’s director, who shares that 98% percent of its kūpuna are low income and many have pre-existing medical conditions and fragile support systems. When the COVID-19 stay-at-home order rolled out, all group activities had to stop. “They all became homebound,” says Megan Inada, KKV’s research and evaluation coordinator. With a grant from the Hawai‘i Resilience Fund of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, KKV designed a new approach: a telehealth and social service check-in program to keep its senior population healthy and connected. Building on the trust and strong relationships fostered over many years, KKV’s weekly check-in program now serves more than 300 kūpuna. It begins with a 30- to 45-minute phone call to assess health and wellness and determine needs that can range from food to medicine to cleaning supplies, and teach elders whose first language may not be English how to become effective telemedicine patients should the need arise. Not least, the calls help seniors feel cared for. Inada says the established relationships and trust make all of the other assistance possible: “Right away, when they pick up the phone and they hear our voices, they’ll start crying. They’re so thankful: ‘I’m so glad you’re calling! I thought you’d forgotten about me.’ It’s that relief, to hear a familiar voice.” The pilot program, one of the first of its kind, could become a model for other organizations like it. Says Inada, “We’re really excited about the work. Of course, everyone wants this [crisis] to end, but we’re understanding how we can connect to our community in a different way.”
Support efforts to rapidly address the local effects of coronavirus at HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org/coronavirus
Kūpuna in Kalihi at this year’s Valentine Dance. Photo: Courtesy of Merlita Compton
“Right away, when they pick up the phone and they hear our voices, they’ll start crying.” - M EGAN I NADA , R ES EARCH AN D E VA L U AT I O N C O O R D I N ATO R , KŌ K U A K A L I H I VA L L E Y
Did you know? On March 18, the Hawai‘i Resilience Fund was established by the Hawai‘i Community Foundation to rapidly deploy resources to health care providers and local nonprofits working to meet the ever-evolving challenges of COVID-19, with a focus on supporting Hawai‘i’s most vulnerable. Working closely with state leaders, nonprofit organizations, businesses and philanthropists, the Hawai‘i Resilience Fund takes a four-phase approach that is committed to helping Hawai‘i not just through the immediate crisis, but also through the rebuilding of an even more resilient statewide community.