At this challenging moment in time, the thoughts of everyone at The John A. Hartford Foundation are centered especially on older adults and other individuals at highest risk because of COVID-19, as well as the valiant health care providers who are working to care for us all.

As Mr. Rogers famously advised, in the most uncertain and frightening times we can take comfort in looking for ‘the helpers’ among us. At this moment, no one better exemplifies ‘helpers’ than our health care workforce, particularly those who care for older adults.

Clinicians engaged in our Age-Friendly Health Systems movement and other initiatives commit to addressing the physical, psychological and social needs of older adults. They deserve our admiration and support as they care for a population that is particularly at risk of COVID-19. We honor them and the entire health care workforce – the nurses, aides, janitorial staff, administrators, service providers and others – who are sacrificing time with their own families to stay focused on giving the best care possible to the loved ones of others.

Public health and government officials at the local, state and federal level also deserve our support and gratitude for working together to stem the tide of this pandemic. They are ‘helpers’ as well and serve as trusted sources of information to guide us. We at The John A. Hartford Foundation will continue to share useful information from those trusted sources, including the CDC, NIH, ACL, your state health departments and our grantees.

The John A. Hartford Foundation staff is working remotely, and we recognize the challenging circumstances many of our grantees and partners are facing. We will continue to offer flexibility as we work together to protect and support older adults, family caregivers and health care providers.

Finally, I’d like to remind us all that this is a moment in time. We as a community have the ingenuity and perseverance that will lead us through.

To access trusted COVID-19 resources for older adults, caregivers and health care providers, visit our COVID-19 post and other resources in our Dissemination Center.

Sincerely,

Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN
President, The John A. Hartford Foundation