Suppose you are caring for an elderly person in your home and you need assistance with some of the day-to-day tasks; where do you turn for help?
You could go to the phone book and look up government agencies that may or may not be geared toward your needs. You can leave your name and number on an impersonal voice mail, after first going through a maddening series of selections offered by a computer, which pretty much insures that you will be listed in a government data base before you even speak to a real person.
And even then it may be a days or longer until someone gets back to you, since most government agencies are not geared to work in emergency situations.
Or, you can call your local senior center! If you call during regular business hours and they follow the model of the Russell Mercier Senior Center in Hebron, you will immediately be talking to a real live person who has a wealth of information available to help in a broad range of issues.
Need a ride? Most senior centers have vans available to take seniors shopping or to medical appointments, or in my mother’s case for many years, to her weekly hair appointment. That may not seem like a big deal to someone who is much younger, but I can tell you one thing about my mother, even at 94 you don’t want to get between her and her hair appointment.
Transportation, entertainment, meals, reading rooms, card games, and even exercise classes all can be found at the senior center, and that still is just the tip of the iceberg. Our center advertises that it is a community resource for information on aging as well as a provider of and conduit to other services available to older adults, including support services for caregivers. The Russell Mercier Senior Center in Hebron also has been designated by the North Central Area Agency on Aging as a Community Focal Point for Aging Services, signifying that the center provides a comprehensive delivery of services essential for maintaining the health, independence, and well-being of older adults.
Among its offerings the center provides trips for groups of seniors – shopping, an eagle viewing expedition and a visit to the Wadsworth Atheneum to see a Monet exhibit are on tap for March – publishes a monthly newsletter, and brings in speakers on special issues such as health, nutrition, exercise, and financial matters which can be especially helpful at this time of year.
In addition there are some not so obvious assets available to seniors or those caring for them. These include: health screenings and fitness/wellness programs; recreational, social, educational and community service programs; nutrition; forms, and computer links to issues of interest to the elderly; contact with the Municipal Agent for the Elderly; and even volunteer opportunities.
I have had more than passing contact with our local senior center since it sponsors a breakfast for veterans each November, catered by a local restaurant, and I have spoken there as a guest author. Our center’s director Sharon Garrard also has been a walking encyclopedia of information whenever I have had a question regarding caring for my mother at home.
I can’t tell you how much of a sense of relief I feel whenever an unfamiliar issue arises and a phone call to Sharon provides an answer within minutes. She either has the information at her fingertips or knows where you can get it without going through a bureaucratic maze.
I checked to see how many communities in the state have senior centers and quite a few websites popped up, some for local communities, while others featured regional information. Most communities have at least one senior center, and larger cities often have several.
I found dozens of links including one maintained by the state of Connecticut Aging Services.
I would simply past that link here but frankly, it is longer than an entire line of type. So if you have an issue concerning elder care and are having a difficult time finding information, or a real person to speak with, do as I did. Type Connecticut’s Senior Centers into your browser’s search field, and select the site that is maintained by Connecticut Aging Services.
It lists the centers in your locale, the directors and contact information, and will open the door to virtually every imaginable service for the elderly, and you can do it all without leaving home.
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