Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Money
  • Election 2020
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Money
    Election 2020
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

VIDEO: How to ensure CT residents can ‘age in place’

  • Health
  • by Arielle Levin Becker
  • March 10, 2016
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

When a group of Darien residents surveyed seniors in town, they found they wanted four things: transportation, a way to find vetted service providers, help with chores around the house, and more connection with the community.

Related links

Caring, long term: A way of life for 1 in 8 Connecticut residents

Wanted: 9,000+ home care workersAs baby-boomers hit 65, state told to prepare for ‘silver tsunami’“Right-sizing” nursing homesDemand for home care workers soaring, but will there be enough takers?CT businesses offer first of six blueprints to cut state spendingFor many with disabilities, life is a waiting listAs state ages, governor presents a plan for expanding home careVIDEO: The public and personal sides of at-home caregiving

Out of that grew a town-wide program, At Home in Darien, that aims to connect those over 60 with the community. Volunteers provide ride to people who need them – to doctors’ appointments, barber shops or lunch with friends. The organization maintains a list of vetted service providers for those looking for, say, a locksmith. There are volunteers who do grocery shopping, leaf raking, change smoke detector batteries or other household chores for seniors in town.

And the group has worked to better connect seniors to the community, whether that means getting books and videos from the library delivered to those who can’t get there in person or having the local schools invite seniors to dress rehearsals of plays. Several years ago, the captains of Blue Wave Football, the Darien High School team, came to At Home In Darien and said they wanted to create a senior cheering section at the games, since many were already attending to see their grandchildren play or to watch a team they once played for years ago. So they did.

Connecticut – a state with one of the oldest populations in the country – has been in the midst of a major shift in how it handles long-term care, aiming to ensure that people can receive services at home or in their communities, rather than in nursing homes, if they choose. Those involved in the effort say it means addressing transportation, housing, health care and workforce issues.

But achieving it also means focusing on more informal supports that make it possible for people to really participate in their communities, not just physically be there.

This CT Mirror Google Hangout focused on both the formal and informal ways to ensure that state residents can age in place. Peter Gioia, vice president and economist with the Connecticut Business & Industry Association; Maureen McIntyre, executive director of the North Central Area Agency on Aging; and Peter Eder, a retired marketing and public relations executive who serves on the board of At Home In Darien, participated in the conversation, which was moderated by Mirror Health Care Reporter Arielle Levin Becker. It was sponsored by AARP Connecticut.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Arielle Levin Becker Arielle Levin Becker covers health care for The Connecticut Mirror. She previously worked for The Hartford Courant, most recently as its health reporter, and has also covered small towns, courts and education in Connecticut and New Jersey. She was a finalist in 2009 for the prestigious Livingston Award for Young Journalists and a recipient of a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship and the National Health Journalism Fellowship. She is a graduate of Yale University.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Nursing home residents are receiving the COVID vaccination at a higher rate than their caretakers
by Dave Altimari and Jenna Carlesso

Providers attributed workers' reluctance to a variety of issues, from concerns about fertility to uncertainty about the side effects.

Legislative leaders support extension of Lamont’s emergency powers during COVID
by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

The governor's emergency powers expire Feb. 9 unless he asks lawmakers for an extension within 72 hours of that date.

For some transgender people, pandemic paves path to transition
by Carol Leonetti Dannhauser | C-HIT.ORG

The COVID-19 pandemic has given many transgender individuals the incentive to begin gender-affirming hormone therapy.

COVID deaths and infections in CT nursing homes decline as more residents are vaccinated
by Dave Altimari

There were 85 deaths in nursing homes and 312 residents infected during the week ending Jan. 12.

COVID lawsuit against CVH and Whiting hospitals dismissed
by Kelan Lyons

With vaccines for patients on the horizon, plaintiffs agreed to the case's dismissal.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Keeping Connecticut’s music industry alive
by Matt Fitzgibbon

By recently passing the Save Our Stages Act, a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Connecticut Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, in its COVID relief package, Congress has temporarily protected The Constitution State’s music industry from economic free fall. But are the courts now willing to do what’s necessary to provide the permanent security it needs and deserves?

Opinion A young Black man sees a need for faster racial progress
by Eugene Z. Bertrand

I first learned that I was Black in kindergarten. More importantly, I learned of the negative connotations that come with identifying with my own skin color.

Opinion Sadly, not much has changed since Martin Luther King Jr.’s killing.
by Alberto Cortes

As we approached the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, I took the time to read and watch his “I Had a Dream” speech which he  delivered on Aug. 28, 1963; and as I read through it 57 years later, I realize not much has changed.

Opinion The struggle for racial justice and equality is far from over
by Marilyn Moore

On the eve of the annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, I and many others are reflecting on what recently transpired at the U. S. Capitol and how it relates to the injustices that Dr. King and so many others fought to change so many years ago. It is obvious that our nation's fight for racial justice and equality is far from over. In fact, it continues to this day.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO