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Aging At Home

What Can Our Church Family Do to Help Our Parents and Fellow Church Members Stay in their Homes as they Age?

This is the big question facing people in their 70s and 80s. It’s also the big question for Baby Boomers whose parents are getting older and don’t want to move from their homes.

How can we help?

The Women’s Association formed an Aging In Place committee which has been tackling this issue by doing research, working with a town-wide committee called Aging in Place with Grace, posing an online discussion --- www.agingwithgrace.blogspot.com, talking to other Darien churches, and discussing what we could do as a church family.

One initiative came out of this, which we call Faith in Action. We have formed a Handyman’s Corps to do small chores around people’s homes. In addition, our church has a Caring Committee that for many years has helped church members with transportation, extra meals and other forms of help when someone is ill, injured or incapacitated.  We also have the CARENET, which provides lay pastoral care.

But what else can we do? What is the best way to help? How can we gather and share knowledge? How can we learn who is in need, get volunteers to help and coordinate the entire effort? What should we do or not do?

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