Wrapping up Senior Solutions’ 50th year
REGION – As 2023 draw to a close, it’s a great time to remind everyone of Senior Solutions’ mission: “To promote the wellbeing and dignity of older adults.”
We do that by providing many services, benefits, and resources, including application and benefits assistance, caregivers and resources, case management, home delivered and community meals, legal assistance, medicare information and counseling, options counseling, senior companions, friendly visitors, vet to vet visitors, senior helpline, transportation assistance, veteran-directed home care, volunteer opportunities, and wellness programs. Please visit our website for detailed information about how to access any or all of that help at www.seniorsolutionsvt.org.
“Every person will age in the place of their choice, with the support they need and the opportunity for meaningful relationships and active engagement in their community.”
In 2023, Senior Solutions celebrated 50 years of service to our region as the designated agency on aging under the federal Older Americans Act of 1973. We are dedicated to serving those who are most vulnerable, and many of our programs and services are available regardless of income or assets. Our case managers support those on Medicaid and coordinate their various care needs. By doing this, Senior Solutions enables older Vermonters to remain in their homes, rather than enter a nursing facility, while receiving the same level of care for as long as possible.
Our helpline number is 802-885-2669, or toll free at 866-673-8376.
Senior Solutions Memory Cafés
If you are caring for a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, consider attending one of Senior Solutions’ area Memory Cafes. In Chester, the Memory Café is on the first Thursday of each month. It is located in Willard Hall at the rear of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on the west end of the village green. Anyone who wants to attend these should feel very welcome. They are free with refreshments. We have wonderful volunteers who will keep an eye on your loved one while you gain support from other caregivers and find out about resources to help you deal with the difficulties of caregiving. A community partner hosts a Memory Café in Ludlow at the Community Center on Route 103 on the second Thursday of each month. All of these are held from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. In addition, if you have been recently diagnosed with a form of dementia, please feel welcome to come by yourself and take part in any activity or discussion you like.
AIDS Survivors Speak Out
Those who were in their 20s when the AIDS crisis began in the 1980s are now in their 60s. Medical advances have made it possible to live long, fulfilling lives for those who are HIV positive. In fact, a majority of Americans who are HIV positive are now aged 55 or older. Many of these “long-term survivors” live at the intersection of stigma from a feared disease, ageism, and living as a gender and/or sexual minority.
Through a generous 2023 grant by the Vermont Community Foundation, Senior Solutions will be developing programming to address the unique issues faced by this growing senior community. Working with Main Street Arts of Saxtons River and their roster of affiliated artists, we will initiate a special expressive arts project next month designed especially for long-term HIV survivors. In June 2024, we expect to present a public program where their work will be presented in a celebratory event. For further information or to get involved, call our helpline at 802-885-2669, and ask to be connected with Thom.
Thank You to The Rockingham Veterinary Clinic
On Dec. 1 and 2, the Rockingham Veterinary Clinic on Route 103 in Chester held two sessions where participants had holiday photos taken of their pets with Santa. These photo sessions were highly successful, and raised several hundred dollars in donations for our Foxy Fund, which benefits pets of our older Vermonters who have difficulty in affording veterinary care and good nutrition to keep their lovable companions in good health. Many thanks to the clinic for offering this free service to pet owners, and for giving those donations to the Senior Solutions Foxy Fund. It was fun and festive.
Senior Solutions annual report and town vote reminder
Get a comprehensive look at Senior Solutions’ year in review. Read through the annual report and find out who we are and what we did this past year. The town funding petitioning season is under way. Senior Solutions staffers and volunteers will canvass some of the towns we serve to ask for petition signatures so we can remain on those town ballots. Please take a minute to sign, and feel free to ask about specific programs, such as Walk with Ease, Foxy Fund, Nutrition Benefits Assistance, LIHEAP Fuel Assistance, and so much more. Remember that we encourage voters to support local meals providers, as we do not use municipal funds to underwrite those programs. We contribute to home delivered meals operations with the federal funds we receive to help them. The federal money does not keep up with inflation, so please support your local meal providers through town meets and ballots.
We do appreciate the support that we receive every year from the many communities we serve. Our services are free to those of us over 60 and to disabled adults. Senior Solutions is always looking for additional grants and outside funding to ensure our resources can meet the needs of our older population. Check with your town and find out when the information meeting and actual vote are going to take place next year. It is traditionally the first Tuesday in March. We work with many community organizations to combine resources and services. As an umbrella organization, our specialty is coordinating the direct services that so many of us require as we age.
Winter 2024 CARERS Program for family dementia caregivers
CARERS stands for “coaching, advocacy, respite, education, relationship, and simulation.” This is an evidence-based, therapeutic group program to help caregivers attain more knowledge and skills to increase their competence through eight weekly sessions. Visit our website, www.seniorsolutionsvt.org, to learn about the program that is offered by The University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC) Dementia Family Caregiver Center and the UVMMC Department of Neurology. If you are a spouse or partner, there are sessions for you. If you are an adult child caregiver, there is a session for you. These sessions have helped many family caregivers increase their ability to cope. These are offered on a HIPPA compliant Zoom platform. To register, please contact Lori McKenna at 802-847-4589 or Lori.McKenna@uvmhealth.org, or Joan Marsh-Reed at 802-847-4589 or Joan.Marsh-Reed@uvmhealth.org.
Consider volunteering with Senior Solutions
At www.seniorsolutionsvt.org, you’ll find extensive information about Senior Solutions’ health and wellness benefits outreach schedules. We also list locations and dates of congregate meal sites. Find out how to sign up to become a senior companion, a friendly visitor, or a vet to vet visitor. There are many opportunities to make a difference in your own community by giving just a few hours a month. Plus, if you are a member of the Brattleboro Food Co-op, they will give you a discount when you volunteer for Senior Solutions.
Remember that if you purchase a Subaru in through Jan. 1, the dealer in Brattleboro or White River Junction will donate $300 to Senior Solutions through the “Share the Love” campaign.
Speaking of donations, thanks again to the Banfield $5,000 grant for helping to refill the Foxy Fund coffers so Senior Solutions can help older Vermonters feed their pets and underwrite some veterinary procedures.
To stay up to date on all these services and events, sign up for the monthly newsletter by going onto Senior Solutions’ website, www.seniorsolutionsvt.org. Also, listen to WOOL 91.5 FM radio from Bellows Falls each Tuesday between 5 and 6 p.m. for a weekly update from a senior solutions program called “60 and Better.”
Enjoy the lights and music of the season. Stay warm, eat your veggies, and enjoy your friends, families, and furry pets. Happy memories and best wishes for the coming New Year. Happy Holidays to everyone.