Duet: Partners In Health & Aging and televëda, a social venture that empowers older adults and the vulnerable to stay active via technology, have partnered together to offer free-of-charge virtual recreation programs for grandparents raising grandchildren.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on another epidemic: social isolation. Loneliness and social isolation are often associated with poor physical and mental health outcomes, including higher rates of mortality, anxiety, and depression. To help combat this, Duet’s grandparents raising grandchildren program offers their support for grandfamilies virtually, including: free virtual support groups, workshops and activities. Part of this support is partnering with televëda to create “Duet at Home,” an initiative that brings virtual programming like Bingo, Tai chi, yoga, painting, and more to grandfamilies free-of-charge and in the safety of their own homes.

“Yoga and dance are just an excuse. It is the sense of community that we create through yoga and dance classes,” says Shruti Gurudanti, the CEO of televëda. “If social isolation and loneliness was a problem before, the pandemic has exacerbated this problem. Creating a sense of community is important now more than ever. We are honored to partner with an incredibly mission-driven organization such as Duet. My favorite part of my day is seeing the participants share their artwork and progress with each other during our watercolor workshop. The smiles on their faces is truly what makes me want to continue what I do every day.”

“The pandemic has been hard on all of us, especially grandparents raising grandchildren who must juggle their own health and wellness needs as vulnerable seniors and those of the children in their care,” says Patricia Dominguez, kinship care services director at Duet. “Virtual programming offered through our partner televëda and other support services we offer such as our virtual support groups, can help grandparents and other kinship caregivers know that they are not alone.”

In addition to their partnership with televëda, Duet’s grandparents raising grandchildren program also continues to offer support for grandparents raising grandchildren through free-of-charge support groups, legal guidance and assistance, funds for extracurricular activities, information and guided assistance, educational workshops, and more. All of their services have pivoted to meet COVID-19 safety guidelines.

To learn more about Duet’s grandparents raising grandchildren program and the support they offer, visit https://duetaz.org/grandparents-raising-grandchildren or call (602) 274-5022.

To learn more about televëda, visit https://www.televeda.com.

About Duet: Partners In Health & Aging: Duet is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote health and well-being through vitally needed services to homebound adults, family caregivers, faith communities, and grandfamilies. Duet’s free-of-charge services are available in the greater Phoenix area. To volunteer, donate or ask for help, go to http://www.duetaz.org or call (602) 274-5022.