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Bailey LeFever - Former Times Reporter
Bailey LeFever

Former Times Reporter

  1. Tampa Bay assisted-living company one of few to mandate staff vaccinations
    May 28, 2021• Health
    Hair stylist Leah Rivera, left, receives a BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from Walgreens pharmacist Thuy Luu on Jan. 21, at Heron House Assisted Living in Largo. Rivera takes care of the residents' hair at the ALF.
  2. Florida woman’s pandemic journey takes her from dishwasher to political activist
    May 28, 2021• Health
    Steve Daniel, 67, who has Alzheimer's, looks at his wife Mary Daniel, 58, while they walk to his room at Rosecastle at Deerwood, an assisted living facility in Jacksonville, during her nightly visit on Thursday, May 20, 2021.
  3. St. Pete assisted-living home didn’t have air conditioning for a week, state says
    May 14, 2021• Community News
    The state revoked the license for Picket Fence Manor, a St. Petersburg assisted-living facility, last week. The sign in front of the building was taken down.
  5. Florida lawmakers strengthened punishments for abuse of elders, disabled
    May 4, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    A scene from the Florida Capitol, where lawmakers strengthened protections for the elderly and disabled during the just-completed legislative session.
  6. About 800,000 Florida seniors still aren’t vaccinated
    May 1, 2021• Health
    Joseph Leblanc receives the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Jan. 19, at John Knox Village in Pompano Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
  7. Florida Legislature codifies use of personal-care attendants in long-term care centers
    April 27, 2021• Breaking News
    A measure passed by Monday by both houses of the state Legislature would allow long-term care facilities to continue employing personal-care attendants.
  8. ‘Sparks were flying’ recently for 2 Tampa Bay seniors, but others are waiting to date
    April 24, 2021• Health
    George “Bud” Anderson, 63, hasn't been dating during the pandemic, or even now after getting his two doses of the vaccine. Before the pandemic, he went to pool parties and cookouts and was dating someone for the first time in years. Music has been important to him in his solitude. “I spent the bulk of my time growing up working on my music one way to another. If I wasn’t practicing I would be up on stage somewhere,” he remembers.
  9. Experts offer moving tips for Florida seniors
    April 21, 2021• Community News
    Sandra Ceballos poses for a photograph in front of a home she has listed for sale and is currently under contract April 8 in Tarpon Springs. Ceballos company, Silver Roots, works with senior citizens in downsizing, and moving.
  10. Tampa Bay seniors isolated by pandemic find a virtual connection
    April 16, 2021• Health
    Bill McDonald, 75, participates in an online meeting while at his home Thursday in New Port Richey. McDonald and other seniors are taking advantage of program through the Area Agency on Aging Pasco-Pinellas to help ease the social isolation of seniors during the pandemic
  11. Florida bills offer an alternative to court-appointed guardians for seniors
    April 9, 2021• News
    The Capitol in Tallahassee is seen following Opening Day of the Florida Legislature on March 3, 2021.
  12. Vaccine demand rises around Tampa Bay on first day of open eligibility
    April 5, 2021• Health
    Tyler Rorah, 18, of Brooksville, receives a Moderna COVID‑19 vaccine shot from LPN Sonia Woods, right, while receiving his CDC (issued) Covid 10 Vaccination Card during his vaccination appointment on Monday, April 5, 2021, at Saint Leo University, which is serving as the host for the Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution for East Pasco County. Looking for a vaccine? https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2021/03/18/a-guide-to-finding-a-coronavirus-vaccine-in-tampa-bay-and-florida/
  13. Tampa Bay tax-help programs have fewer appointments, but lots of demand
    April 5, 2021• Business
    Volunteer Kim Grieder, 59, right, speaks with client Sheryl Naime, 50, of Hudson Thursday in Port Richey. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, which is run by the IRS, is one of the main providers of free tax prep services for low-income residents across Tampa Bay, many of whom are seniors.
  14. Majority of Florida’s long-term care staffers refused coronavirus vaccine
    April 1, 2021• Health
    Tony Hernandez, a social worker with Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care in Pinellas, left, is administered a COVID-19 vaccine shot from Walgreens pharmacist Drin Mita at Heron House Assisted Living in Largo on Feb. 11, where healthcare workers and residents received their second shots against the coronavirus.
  15. Tampa paramedics deliver doses of relief to homebound residents
    March 29, 2021• Health
    John Mikula, left, a Community Paramedic Manager with TransCare Medical Transportation Services, talks with Patricia Landry, 76, a homebound resident, after he administered the coronavirus vaccine to her in her home on Friday in Tampa. “I had just given up hope of being able to get the shot someplace,” Landry said. “Who even thought of this. It’s a blessing. It’s a gift.” TransCare Medical Transportation Services is a division of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, located at 1 Crisis Center Plaza, in Tampa.
  16. Florida long-term care residents can enjoy family visits, complete with hugs
    March 25, 2021• Health
    On July 17, 2020, Margaret Choinacki, 87, who has no other family members left because her husband and daughter have died, blows kisses to her friend Frances Reaves during a drive-by visit at Miami Jewish Health in Miami.
  17. Pandemic gives Florida ‘golden opportunity’ to reimagine senior care, advocate says
    March 22, 2021• Health
    Marlys Meckler, 81, on left, meets with her husband, Milton Meckler, 87, in the living room of the Grand Villa of St. Petersburg, an assisted-living facility, on Sept. 10, 2020. The couple had been married for 61 years.
  18. Some Florida seniors are worried the coronavirus vaccine isn’t free
    March 20, 2021• Health
    Residents wait in line to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine,Jan. 19, at John Knox Village in Pompano Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
  19. Florida’s homebound residents have more shots on the way
    March 15, 2021• Health
    Florida Department of Health medical workers prepare to give seniors a COVID-19 vaccination in the parking lot of the Gulf View Square Mall in New Port Richey.
  20. Florida volunteers pitch in to help seniors get vaccination appointments
    March 15, 2021• Health
    Jackie Mallozzi, 71, of Safety Harbor, left, helped Skip Meadows, 79, of Safety Harbor, find a coronavirus vaccine in Pasco County recently when reservations to get the shot(s) in Pinellas County were hard to find. Mallozzi is among a group of Pinellas seniors that are helping register fellow seniors for the coronavirus vaccine. While they are happy to chip in the help, some say it reveals flaws in the registration system and leaves out those who don’t have a network of family or friends.
  21. About 1.8 million Florida seniors are still not vaccinated
    March 10, 2021• Health
    Florida Department of Health medical workers prepare to give seniors a COVID-19 vaccination in the parking lot of the Gulf View Square Mall in New Port Richey. The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County is held their first drive-through COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Gulf View Square Mall in New Port Richey, Florida in 2020.
  22. Coronavirus cases plummet at Florida care facilities after vaccines
    March 5, 2021• Health
    Erma Ferguson, 93, center, poses for a picture with Walgreens pharmacist Drin Mita, right, moments after receiving her second BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shot at Heron House Assisted Living in Largo on Feb. 11, 2021.
  23. DeSantis dropped off 3,000 vaccines to a Pinellas senior community. But was the distribution fair?
    March 3, 2021• Health
    The entrance to Mainlands of Tamarac is seen Monday, Feb. 17, 2020 in Pinellas Park.
  24. Tampa Bay senior living facilities have more openings
    Feb. 23, 2021• Health
    Marlys Meckler, 81, on left, meets with her husband, Milton Meckler, 87, in the living room of the Grand Villa of St. Petersburg, 3600 34th St S, an assisted-living facility that has opened its doors to visitors after not permitting visitors for the past six months on Sept. 10, 2020 in St. Petersburg. Marlys was visiting Milton, who is a resident of the facility. The couple has been married for 61 years.