ARE YOU A CAREGIVER FOR SOMEONE 65 OR OLDER?

Posted on July 3, 2021 by East Lyme

Did you know you can get paid for taking care of a family member or friend?

You are eligible if:

¨        You are living in the same home as the person you care for

¨        The person you care for has or is eligible for CT Medicaid

¨        The person you care for requires help with some of the following activities on a daily basis:

Dressing                              Feeding

Bathing                               Toileting

Transferring                       Walking

Medication                          Supervision for a cognitive impairment

The Adult Family Living program is open to Connecticut residents statewide who are eligible for the Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders (CHCPE) or the Personal Care Assistance (PCA) program. Care recipients must have both a functional and financial need for care.

 

Technology Center- Our Tech Concierges are back!

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Groton

Need help with your laptop, tablet, smart phone? Maybe you just need a refresher in
Excel or need a little reminder with your Mac? We have you covered!

We do ONE-ON-ONE appointments for anyone 55 and older. We listen to your needs
and work at your pace. We have added to our amazing volunteers—we have several new
faces whom can help with various technology needs. Please call so we can best match
you up and schedule you important to us. Please call 860-445-1057 to make an
appointment in person or virtually with our Groton Senior Center Technology Center.

STAY TUNED for days and times of our popular and ever so helpful TECHY TEENS Program this summer!
We team up with Groton Public Library Teen Scape program to enlist some of their best to help better your
experience with your smart phone, tablets, laptop etc.

THE CALL HUB

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Groton

Groton Senior Center is excited to present a brand new program called “The Call Hub”.  This program is generously sponsored by the Groton Parks Foundation.
The Call Hub is a social calling program designed to provide enriching, fun and stimulating conversations. This program is for individuals who are homebound or lack human connection through socialization and activities outside of the home. Our goal is to have individuals feel validated and connected to other people with similar interests and values through the utilization of weekly phone calls.
Volunteers for this program are super important and can help to make a difference in others lives by giving 1 hour a week to 2 recipients by calling them. Social calling can improve psychological wellbeing , give folks opportunities to talk with like-minded people, perceived self-efficacy, more years at home and referrals to addition-al community resources. Social isolation affects nearly 1 in 5 older adults and that while it’s harmful at any age it’s especially dangerous for people over 50. Social isolation and loneliness are associated with higher blood pressure, increased susceptibility to the flu, greater risk of heart disease and earlier onset of dementia.
If you have questions or would like to participate in this program as a volunteer please reach out to our volunteer coordinator, Tomi at 860-441-6782 or tstanley@groton-ct.gov

Nonperishable Groceries

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Lyme / Old Lyme

If you are finding yourself in need of food, please reach out to the Senior Center and we can provide you a bag of nonperishable groceries. Call (860)434-4127 to set up an appointment to pick it up.

THE AMITY PROGRAM TELEPHONE CORRESPONDENCE OR PEN-PAL PROGRAM

Posted on July 3, 2021 by East Lyme

Want to meet someone new? We want to help!

The Amity Program works to foster intergenerational interaction by connecting you with a student.

You can connect by phone or by mail, whichever works for you!

The telephone correspondence program is a weekly commitment. The pen-pal program is a bi-weekly commitment. Both commitments are flexible.

You can contact Hattie Shapard at hshapard@amityprogram.org, or give her a call her at 917-270-8237, or contact the Senior Center to learn how to sign up!

 

Get Out There!! – Content by Judy

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Montville

New Age???

New Time???

New Start???

Do any of us know what to call this time we are now living? I can’t figure it out myself. I just know I’ll never live a ‘normal’ life again. That was before COVID. Now I just know things a different and I need to create the life I want to live.

Things will be different because we are different. But how do we want this new ‘different’ to look? Should we be making a new plan? Finding new avenues? Reassessing those things we wanted but didn’t do before?

My husband and I started a list several months ago of things we were going to do after COVID. On it I added go to bars. My husband said, “But we don’t go to bars!” “No, but we’re going to start because it’s something new and different. Who knows we might even like them!” So, we’ll see…

That’s sort of a silly example of trying something new. Going somewhere we might be uncomfortable. Experiencing a new environment. But it will get us engaged in a new way and who knows we might even make new friends or find people we used to know.

I want all of you to experience that new day. A new start. For you to act and move forward. Even if you don’t know what ‘IT’ is. Work on ‘IT’. Figure ‘IT’ out. Make a plan. Pick a day of each week to try something new.

It can be as simple as enjoying a cup of coffee in a new place. You’re not alone. There will be others looking for the same things you are looking for. Say hello as you walk by. You just need to get out there.

The next day maybe go for a walk. Then reach out and ask someone to go out to eat or visit a museum. Even if they can’t go then, see if they want to meet up another time. I can almost guarantee they do! They are lonely too. Invite a few friends and family over for a game night or a cookout. Reach out to an old friend you haven’t seen in a while. Put yourself out there. Volunteer. Go to the library. Join the gym. Sign up for a class at the Senior Center.

And if a few things don’t go as you thought they would, remember it’s ok. You’re trying. Finding a new path can be hard and it will take time. But you just might end up in a totally different place than what you thought you wanted. And it can be even better than you ever imagined!!

So be sure to remember aging is a privilege. A time to explore. A time for growth. A time make new connections with new people and places.

As we travel into this new world don’t forget to reinvent yourself and your life!!