Faith in Action – Aging in Place

Our church’s Aging in Place initiative is simple. We’re trying to make it easier for our older church members to stay in their homes as long as they’d like. When we asked people how we could help them do this, three things came up – getting information/news, getting around, and getting things done. When we started six years ago, we created a mission statement: To help seniors to live independently, comfortably, easily and with dignity in their own homes as long as possible.

Within our church, volunteers, CareNet lay ministers, Deacons and the clergy are all working together to ensure that all our members have access to church and community news, continue to feel that they are an active part of our church family, can secure rides to church and medical appointments, get help with shopping, and get help with completing small handyman tasks at home. We are all available for listening to life’s challenges, too.

We also joined hands five years ago with the town-wide effort, Aging in Place in Darien , which was a pilot program of The Community Fund of Darien. Now, the organization has merged with Gallivant, the provider of transportation to Darien seniors. The new organization is Aging in Place+Gallivant.

AIP+G has just hired a new Executive Director, Gina Blum. Learn more at www.aginginplacegallivant.org. Plus, Wyn Lydecker from our church posts news on her own blog: www.independentseniors.net.

Wyn Lydecker is representing our church on the organization’s Board of Directors, and she is heading up the transportation committee. We figure if all the service organizations and churches in our area can join together, we can accomplish our shared mission of – Helping Darien Seniors live independently, comfortably and with dignity in their own homes as long as possible. (They quoted from our mission statement with our committee’s permission.)

AIP in Darien has a vetted services list of professionals you can hire to do work in your home. AIP in Darien is also working with St. Luke’s Small Tasks Ministry to provide free handyman services.

Darien Seniors can join Aging In Place+Gallivant for free. Just call Gina Blum, our Executive Director, at 203-585-4094 or email her at: director@aginginplacegallivant.org.

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