AARP Hawaiʻi Seeking Kupuna Feedback About COVID-19 Vaccination Experiences

AARP Hawaiʻi is asking kupuna 50 and older to fill out an online questionnaire and share their experiences and thoughts about the COVID-19 vaccine process in Hawaiʻi in an effort to improve the process.

The questions ask whether people have tried to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment, have gotten vaccinated and what people think about how the state is balancing vaccinating kupuna and essential workers.

“We know that there is intense interest and desire from kupuna to get vaccinated for their own safety and for the safety of their loved ones,” said Kealiʻi Lopez, AARP Hawaiʻi state director. “We have been hearing from individual AARP members and this questionnaire is an attempt to gather more information, which can help guide our advocacy efforts and help the state improve the process.”

The online questionnaire is available at action.aarp.org/hivaccinesurvey. The deadline to complete it is Monday morning March 8.

AARP Hawaiʻi will analyze the results and share them with key stakeholders and decision makers. It also will post the results on the AARP Hawaiʻi website.

AARP Hawaiʻi will discuss the results during AARP’s COVID-19 Vaccine Telephone Town Hall on Wednesday, March 10 at noon. Go to aarp.org/nearyou for more information and to register for the free telephone forum with Lt. Gov. Josh Green and Ron Balajadia, head of the state Health Department immunization branch.

Results of this questionnaire are not scientific. But they should provide a variety of anecdotal experiences and a general sense of how kupuna are feeling about the vaccine rollout. AARP hopes to send out the questionnaire again next month to see if opinions and experiences are changing as the vaccine rollout continues.