LWN101421

6
WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 OCTOBER 14, 2021
STUDENT OF
THE WEEK
Giada Antidormi
runs through
the competition
COURTESY PHOTO | GIADA ANTIDORMI
Gianna Antidormi plays soccer as well as participating in
cross-country, where she was the first Lynnfield student to win
an invitational.
BY ALENA KUZUB
Giada Antidormi became the
first Lynnfield Middle School
runner to ever win a cross country
invitational in September
2021.
Antidormi, who is 12 years
old and attends the seventh
grade, ran the 1.7-mile course at
the Smolak Farm Cross Country
Invitational in North Andover on
Sept. 24 in 11 minutes and 28
seconds. She placed first among
164 runners.
“I was very surprised,” said
Antidormi about her result. She
didn’t place first in races in fifth
grade before the COVID-19
pandemic, and last year there
were no competitions.
“I just like running in general.
It feels nice to just go for a run,”
said Antidormi.
“Giada plays and/or practices
for soccer five days a week.
Her strong form and stamina
are a result of years and years
of focused soccer training,”
said Alexandra Buonfiglio, who
coaches Lynnfield High track
and middle school cross country.
“Wish I could take credit, but I
only coach her workouts once a
week.” The program is open to
all middle school children with
all abilities.
“My coach Lexi (Buonfiglio)
has taught me a few strategies,
for example, speed up in the
beginning and speed up at the
end,” said Antidormi.
Antidormi also started playing
soccer about eight years ago
and became more competitive as
she got older, she said.
She likes playing soccer,
learning new skills, and doing
drills. She plays center midfield
on three different teams, including
LMS.
“In that position you go long
distances for a long time,” said
Antidormi. “You are in the middle
of everything and you can
help the offence and the defense.
And you run up and down a lot.”
Antidormi said she gets along
with her teammates on all of the
teams really well, especially at
LMS.
“Because they are all my
school friends as well,” said Antidormi.
During the COVID-19 pandemic
in 2020, Antidormi continued
training. Some of her soccer
drills were led by her coach
remotely on Zoom. In summer,
Buonfiglio also offered young
athletes some training instructions
to practice running on
their own on the street or in their
backyards, Antidormi said.
Antidormi enjoys social activities
and likes to hang out with
her friends, go to Marketstreet,
the Topsfield Fair, or Canobie
Lake Park.
She is also a really good student
with straight As, said her
mother Gina, and never likes to
be bored. She likes math, Antidormi
said, because it always has
one right answer and science, especially
such natural phenomena
like volcanoes and earthquakes.
“I really would like to play
college soccer and continue with
cross country,” said Antidormi
about her athletic plans for the
future. She also would like to
become an interior designer.
She likes picking out colors and
matching decor.
Seniors
Tapping into senior connections
FOR THE WEEKLY NEWS
LYNN — One result of the
global pandemic and its longterm
isolation is the need to find
innovative ways through which
people can stay connected.
One such effort includes a
new tool that Greater Lynn Senior
Services (GLSS), which
serves town residents, is piloting
called Uniper — a device that
plugs into your television set,
along with a small camera which
perches on top, enabling one-onone
communication with case
managers, healthcare providers,
counselors, family and friends.
“The COVID-19 pandemic
pretty much destroyed the limited
social connections that many
older people or adults living
with disabilities already experience,”
said Kathryn C. Burns,
GLSS’ chief executive officer.
“Research shows that isolation,
particularly long-term isolation,
has a very negative effect on
people’s overall health, significantly
contributing to premature
death from all causes and increasing
a person’s risk of diseases
like dementia.”
Uniper loads an individual’s
contacts into its device, allowing
for immediate virtual connection.
“This is really the primary
reason we chose Uniper over
the many other platforms we
reviewed,” said Valerie Parker
Callahan, director of planning
and development. “We view it
first and foremost as a communications
tool to help people
better manage their health and
well-being, with Uniper’s builtin
programming as a secondary
— but very helpful — add-on to
reduce social isolation and promote
stronger connections with
the wider community.”
It is easy to use with a simple
remote that allows people to
quickly transition from Uniper
back to television programming.
“Many platforms that allow
for virtual connection require a
computer, tablet or smartphone,
which many older people do
not have and might be uncomfortable
using,” Parker Callahan
noted. “But Uniper only requires
a TV, which most people already
have and use regularly.”
Uniper’s existing content
includes access to hundreds of
videos — travel, arts and culture,
music and educational
programs, as well as “live” programming
that includes exercise
and other classes, peer-led discussion
groups, support groups
and more — which are available
throughout the day and scheduled
by Uniper.
GLSS is developing its own
content, which will be available
to users through a separate
channel, and is also working on
developing some live programming,
too.
“We envision, for example,
that our Wellness Pathways fall
prevention and health self-management
workshops will be offered
over the Uniper platform,
as well as group and individual
counseling through our Mobile
Mental Health and Family Caregiver
Support programs in a private,
HIPAA-compliant setting,”
Parker Callahan said, “This
would be in addition to virtual
case manager visits with GLSS
consumers.”
UniperCare is an innovative,
Israeli-based company with a
West Coast U.S. hub. Its programming
is starting to pop up
all around the country, but GLSS
is its first Massachusetts-based
customer.
One of the Uniper’s unique
features is the work they have
been doing with Jewish Federation
of North America, connecting
Holocaust survivors, their
descendants and people of Jewish
faith with tailored supports
and group meetings, bringing
together people from all across
the country in celebration of
some Jewish holidays during the
pandemic. They plan to continue
this programming moving forward.
Uniper also offers a lot of
content in Russian and Spanish.
GLSS is initially hoping to
sign up 100 people age 60 and
older or adults living with disabilities
in its service area of
Lynn, Lynnfield, Nahant, Saugus
and Swampscott for the free
one-year service. The product
will be reevaluated after a year
and could last beyond that, depending
on its results and continued
interest on the part of
funders.
Uniper offers training and a
helpline to troubleshoot any issues
users encounter. The program
is supported by funding
from the Administration for
Community Living as well as
funding through the Older American
Act administered through
the Massachusetts Executive Office
of Elder Affairs, and a grant
from Beverly and Addison Gilbert
Hospitals, operated by Beth
Israel Lahey Health.
Interested individuals can
contact Andrew Wallace, GLSS’
Title III Planner, at 781-477-
6702 or email awallace@glss.
net. More information can be
found at www.glss.net.