Healthy Living
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Understanding Medicare Enrollment: A Talk Wednesday at Darien Library

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Darien Library is offering a presentation on Medicare enrollment — what you need to know, decide and do — from 7 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 4 in the Community Room on the first floor. Here’s the library’s description of the presentation:

This information session will help you understand the three enrollment periods and how the late enrollment penalty works. We will also teach you how to choose a plan and how to decide between Medigap & drug or Medicare Advantage. We will educate you on how much to expect to pay in health care costs in retirement and how to protect yourself from the catastrophic costs of long-term care.

Real Estate
Rendering Front Royle at Darien

Old Town Hall Homes Now ‘The Royle at Darien’ — You Can Be Notified When They Start Considering Applications

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Old Town Hall Homes is now being rebuilt, and it’s getting a new name to go along with the new, expanded number of apartments: “The Royle at Darien.” Royle School used to be on the site, even before the previous Town Hall was located there. You can now get on the notification list for those who want to apply for an apartment in the new building. There are instructions on how to do that in the announcement on the town government website. You can find floor layout plans for apartments and see other images of the site.

Healthy Living

Talk: Three Ways to Keep Your Brain Healthy and Potentially Reduce Cognitive Decline

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A presentation on “Brain Boost: Three Keys to Keep Your Brain Healthy and Potentially Reduce Cognitive Decline” will be presented on Thursday, Sept. 12 by the director of memory care at Sterling Care. — an announcement from Fairfield County House

Amy B. Burckhard, the presenter is the director of memory care at Sterling Care, a home-care service. The presentation takes place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Fairfield County House, 1 Den Road, Stamford (or look up 427 Roxbury Road, Stamford on your map application). RSVP SOON by emailing ExecDtr.fchh@gmail.com or by calling (203) 921-6405.

Charity Events and Opportunities
Joan Lunden thumbnail for home page and facebook

Joan Lunden to Speak Oct 16 at SilverSource Benefit Luncheon at Woodway Country Club in Darien

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SilverSource invites you to save the date for their Inspiring Lives Benefit Luncheon featuring Joan Lunden. The event will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at Woodway Country Club and will honor the Cingari Family. — an announcement from SilverSource
Proceeds will benefit SilverSource EPIC programming for People in Crisis, Housing, Hunger, Healthcare and their Ride to Wellness program. Lunden will discuss the demand for family members to serve as caregivers and share her own journey as a member of the Sandwich Generation providing long-distance caregiving for her mother while parenting her young children.

Public Safety
AAA Mature Driving Course AAA Northeast

Vehicle Infotainment Systems Drive Senior Motorists to Distraction

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Older drivers are distracted more than 8 seconds longer than their younger counterparts when they use certain in-car infotainment systems.
But it’s not because they’re older, reports new AAA Research; it’s because the technology is hard to use and poorly designed. — an announcement from AAA Northeast
Voice commands for calling, texting, navigating, or tuning radios in one of six infotainment systems caused 55- to 75-year old drivers, on average, to divert their eyes from the road longer than 21- to-36-year old drivers, reports the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the research arm of AAA. “Voice command functions in new cars certainly have the potential to extend the mobility of older drivers,” said Fran Mayko, AAA Northeast spokeswoman. “But poor design, complex systems and in-car position that make it difficult to easily complete simple tasks are causing more harm than good to older drivers.”
For any driver, no matter the age, taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your crash risk, she added. The research — a collaboration between the AAA Foundation and the University of Utah — found older adults, who took between 5 and 9 seconds to complete in-car tasks on these infotainment systems, experienced slower response times and more visual distractions, even though these systems created potentially unsafe distractions for all drivers.

Seniors
Darien Farmes Market

Darien Low-Income Seniors Can Get Discounts on Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs, Honey at Farmers Markets

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Darien seniors may now be eligible to receive discount vouchers for locally grown fruits and vegetables through the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. — an announcement from the Darien Human Services Department

Darien Human Services has just been designated as a Local Coordinating Agency for the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP). SFMNP provides vouchers for locally grown fruits, vegetables, herbs and honey to eligible low income seniors. Vouchers are limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Vouchers are valid through Oct.

Public Safety
Town Seal Patrol Car

Police: Woman at Nursing Home Loses $17,000 to Phone Scammer

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A woman at The Residence at Sellecks Woods home for the elderly received a call recently from a man claiming there was some sort of glitch with her Social Security number that indicated she was deceased. The man, who identified himself as “Christopher Greenburg,” said he needed to send her new banking cards with updated information. He also knew some of her personal information, so she believed the call was legitimate and gave him some information about her banking accounts. The next day, the victim contacted her bank. She found that there was a total of  $17,000 in fraudulent charges made to her account.

Seniors
Senior older guy on phone FTC video Family Emergency Imposter Scams 2018

Seniors, Disabled People Can Get on Darien Human Services Dept List for Calls Before Storms, Town Emergencies

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The staff of Darien Human Services keeps a list of seniors and disabled individuals to contact prior to a storm or town-wide emergency to provide reassurance and peace of mind, and they’ll add seniors and the disabled to the list — just ask them. Staff will also inform residents of resources available in the community such as Emergency Shelters and Cooling Centers. If you are a Darien resident and would like to have your name added to the Emergency Call List, please call Human Services at 203-656-7328. — an announcement from the Darien Department of Human Services. For a list of other services the department provides, see this Web page.

Public Safety
Image from FTC video Hang up on fraudulent telemarketing https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/media/video-0036-hang-fraudulent-telemarketing

FTC: ID Thieves Promise Free DNA Testing Kit from Medicare in Exchange for Social Security #

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Here’s one that goes to show just how creative scammers can be. The FTC is getting reports that callers claiming to be from Medicare are asking people for their Medicare numbers, Social Security numbers, and other personal information — in exchange for DNA testing kits. — Lisa Lake is a consumer education specialist with the Federal Trade Commission. This article originally appeared on the FTC website. The callers might say the test is a free way to get early diagnoses for diseases like cancer, or just that it’s a free test, so why not take it?

Charity Events and Opportunities
SilverSource Richard Silver

SilverSource Charity Golf Outing Raises $130K, Honors Stamford Attorney

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SilverSource held its annual Charity Golf Outing on June 10 at Rockrimmon Country Club in Stamford. The event included a day of world-class golf, brunch, dinner, cocktails, door prizes and awards. — an announcement from SilverSource
The tournament was one of the organization’s central fundraisers, drawing over 100 golfers and raising over $130,000 for the SilverSource Elderly Housing Stability Program, Elder Eviction Protection and the Ride To Wellness Medical Transportation Program. Tournament participants enjoyed a variety of competitions in addition to 18 holes of golf. Tournament play activities included a longest drive contest, closest to the pin competition, a closest to the line contest, and a hole-in-one competition presented by BMW of Darien.

Healthy Living
Atria Darien 910-26-16

Talk on Therapy for Those With Parkinson’s Disease

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A free educational program for those with Parkinson’s disease — and a free pizza lunch — will be offered starting at 11 a.m., Friday, July 12 at Atria Darien. — an announcement from Atria Darien

The presentation by Dr. Maria Moro-de-Casillas, a member of the Neurology Movement Disorder Society, is part of the Parkinson’s Support Group monthly meeting at Atria. Moro-de-Casillas will talk about a Parkinson’s therapy for off-periods for adults who take Carbidopa/Levidopa. It is an inhalation powder called Inbrija. A pizza lunch will be served at noon.

Public Safety
Stacey Thompson mug shot

Police: Nurse at Maplewood at Darien Stole Opioid Drugs from Residents

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A 34-year-old nurse admitted to stealing Tramadol, an opioid medication for pain, from four elderly residents at Maplewood at Darien for months, starting in January or February, police said. She said, according to police, that she did it to deal with physical pain she was experiencing. Darien police described what happened with this account, including accusations not proven in court:

The thefts were discovered after it was noticed that blister packs of 50 mg Tramadol had been tampered with, and pills were missing from them. Staff at the retirement home also found unauthorized refill requests for one resident who refills her own prescriptions. The nurse, Stacey Thompson, was confronted by one or more people in “Maplewood administration” (police didn’t say how many or who) and admitted she had stolen the drug and gave the administration a written statement.

Seniors
lecture thumbnail and facebook image

‘Are You Living the Way You Want To Be Remembered?’ A Talk on Thursday in Greenwich (and Online)

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A unique, lively talk with Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz and The Reverend Marek Zabriskie on living up to your ideals through the end of your life will be presented Thursday, June 13 in Greenwich and online. — This announcement previously was published by GreenwichFreePress.com. How you impact your friends, loved ones, and even brief encounters, determines the legacy you will leave. No matter what you believe, it’s not just about leaving a financial legacy. We’ve spent a lifetime amassing possessions to pass them on to our children.

Seniors
At Home In Darien 10th Anniversary Celebration

At Home In Darien Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary

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On Friday, May 10, more than 130 guests gathered at the Country Club of Darien to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of At Home In Darien, and to honor a group of dedicated volunteers who had the foresight to establish an aging in place organization for Darien. — an announcement from At Home In Darien

These honorees have provided leadership, support, and guidance and have significantly contributed to At Home’s success. Kaye Barker, Peter Eder, Charlie England (In Memoriam), Olive Hauser, Diana Kalman, Wyn Lydecker, Ann Mandel, Anne McGuire and Pete Wright (In Memoriam) all endeavored over the past ten years to help make At Home In Darien the success it is today. The Board of At Home In Darien would also like to thank their various sponsors: Blue Level, The Alden-Wright Foundation, First County Bank, and The O’Herron Family Foundation; Green Level, Belinda and Jim Metzger; Yellow Level, Atria Darien, Susan and Suresh Bhirud, Peggy and Jim Brown, Amy and Peter Harned, Healthcare Pathfinder, Nielsen’s Florist, The Residence at Selleck’s Woods, Tamsin and Tim Sickinger/Citizens Bank, and Robin and Richard Woods; and the Friends Level, Bankwell, Maplewood at Darien, OsteoStrong Darien, and Right at Home, Darien. At Home in Darien is grateful for the support of these sponsors which will help ensure our continued success and will enable us to improve and expand our services.

Books & Authors
Younger Next Year audiobook cover square image for homepage

Chris Crowley, Co-Author of the ‘Younger Next Year’ Series of Health Books, Talks Tuesday at Library

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Chris Crowley, author of the Younger Next Year series, will Darien Library’s featured speaker on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 p.m.

Over one million people have changed their lives with Chris Crowley’s New York Times best-selling Younger Next Year books (written with Internist and Columbia Medical School Professor, Henry S. Lodge, M.D.)

— This article adapts a Darien Library announcement and Chris Crowley’s bio page from his website. Crowley says on his website:

Putting off 70% of today’s aging (70%!) is a simple matter: Move a lot more!…quit eating crap! … connect with others!  
The combination of  our bone-idleness and the slop we eat and is wrecking our lives and ruining the economy. We spend 20% of our national income on health care. We could save half of that dough  because 50% of our bad health is simply the result of the ridiculous way we eat and live.