What do Seniors Want?

Seniors say they want to age in place, yet they are reluctant to join or call groups that can help them do just that. Why? I think it's just a strong desire to be independent.

I'm also wondering what adult children want for their parents? Do they encourage aging in place, if a support system is in place? Or would they rather have their parents move to assisted living or even a nursing home?

I wish that lots of people read this blog and could weigh in on the subject.

As Aging in Place in Darien tackles our strategic planning, I just wonder what we really should be doing. Is it worth the effort? Is what we are doing really adding any value?

How can we offer the most value at the lowest cost? And by cost, I mean time, money and effort.

Aging In Place in the News

In the past two weeks, community help for people who are aging has been in the news. Two weeks ago, the Darien Times ran a piece by Kathy Lake on the needs of our town's aging population. Last week the paper ran an opinion piece by me on the Aging in Place initiatives of the Human Services Planning Council and The First Congregational Church of Darien. These articles have gotten a response. Older people who are complete strangers to me have called or emailed to tell me that they didn't know that local services exist to help the elderly. It just shows that communication needs improvement -- and that people do need help. You can contact me at steppingback@yahoo.com. That's my newspaper column email address.

On Sunday, the Stamford Advocate ran an article on Stamford Senior Services. This article (see link below) clearly showed all the services that an organization can supply. I'm going to talk to them to see what I can learn. http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/features/lifestyle/inthecommunity/scn-sa-sofia1mar25,0,4970867.story?coll=inthecommunity-headlines