About half a million seniors live in Connecticut, nearly a 10% increase since 2000. With baby boomers retiring and seniors living longer lives, that number is expected to skyrocket over the next few decades. In fact the number of people over the age of 85 in Connecticut has increased 32% over the past 10 years.
The Connecticut Department of Aging offers a ?rich tapestry? of programs and services to ensure that seniors live rich, healthy and full lives.
Those services include:
-- Adult Day Care: Supervision for seniors during the day when their caretakers are at work.
-- Connecticut Statewide Respite Care Program: Temporary relief for those who are taking care of seniors with Alzheimer’s or dementia-related illnesses.
-- CHOICES: Health insurance information and counseling for seniors.
-- Fall Prevention: A program to educate seniors about falling and how to prevent them.
-- Grandparents as Parents Support Network (GAPS): Assisting seniors who are raising their own grandchildren.
-- Home Delivered Meals: Meals delivered directly to the homes of frail seniors.
-- Housing Options: Including assisted living, condominiums and congregate housing.
-- In-Home Services: Such services as meal preparation, personal care and light housework for frail seniors who still live in their own homes.
-- Senior Community Cafes: About 200 locations where congregate meals are served.
-- Senior Community Service Employment Program: Job training and placement for low-income seniors.
-- Veterans Programs: Special services designed to keep former military members in their own homes, rather than having to go to a long-term care facility.
Advocates for seniors agree that a medical alert system should be part of the long-term plan for every senior. And nowadays, the system is not tethered to the house.
As recently as just five years ago, a medical alert system was hooked up to a traditional phone line, which means it could never leave the house. When you left, you had no protection.
But now, there are mobile devices that you can take with you so you can be monitored wherever you go. The device may be small, about the size of a pack of cards, but they somehow managed to pack plenty of technology in there.
Cellular technology allows you to talk to the central monitoring facility directly through the unit. It is also equipped with GPS technology so the monitor can pinpoint you exact location and send help right to you.
All medical alert companies operate in all 50 states, including Connecticut.
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