The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Aging & Adult Services Agency, in partnership with BellAge, Inc. and support from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, has announced the launch of CV19 CheckUp in Michigan. CV19 CheckUp assesses each person’s unique situation and presents options to help reduce risk and enhance quality of life. We encourage all Michiganders, especially those 60 and over, to visit michigan.cv19checkup.org receive a free, personal assessment. The assessment is available to those under age 60, too.

The anonymous questionnaire will take 5-10 minutes to complete on a computer, smartphone or tablet. CV19 CheckUp immediately delivers the user a personalized report, answering questions such as:

• How likely am I to get COVID-19 or spread it to others?

• If I get COVID-19, how severe would it likely be?

• Where can I find help to ensure my needs are met during the pandemic?

Michiganders age 60 and over represent 89 percent of confirmed COVID-19 deaths. The individualized approach that defines CV19 CheckUp will deliver much needed support to the more than 2.4 million Michiganders age 60 and older, as well as those with underlying health conditions and/or compromised immune systems.

Thanks to grants from the DTE Energy Foundation and Aging and Adult Services Agency, Senior Resources staff was able to provide personal care bags to hundreds of older adults last holiday season.

The bags contained items such as toilet paper, soap and hand sanitizer, face masks, shampoo, dental items, word search puzzles, and more.

We are grateful to our funders for allowing us to help about 400 older adults. This is always a highlight of our year.

The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, and other local law enforcement, warns citizens about frequent fraud and scams. Law enforcement will never contact citizens to request payments for outstanding warrants, bonds, or other court obligations, and those obligations are never asked to be paid with gift cards or via Venmo, Cash App, or other money transfer services.

Residents should be mindful of possible scams involving inheritances, lottery winnings, Publisher's Clearing House, or other prizes they did not previously enter to win. Suspects will attempt to claim the "winner" needs to pay taxes or fees to obtain those winnings. Residents are also urged to be aware of potential scams on dating sites, as well as COVID-related scams.

Citizens should always remember to verify information before providing personal information to anyone over the phone or Internet, and be cognizant of social media and online activity. If uncertain, hang up and look up the number for the organization (e.g., court, bank, etc.) , rather than calling the number they provide.