Seniors

Police: Two Checks Stolen from Elderly Darien Resident, $5,200 Taken

AAA Driver Improvement Class Offered at East Norwalk Library on April 23

Free Lunch for Seniors with Talk on ‘Healthy Living For Your Brain and Body’ at Mather Center April 30

If You Rent, Have Limited Income and Have a Disability or Are Over 65, You May Be Eligible for a Rent Rebate

Learn more about Dementia and Become a ‘Dementia Friend’ Monday, April 8

UPDATE: Police Revise Story About That Package With $10,000 Left on Darien Doorstep

Darien Seniors: Free Admission, Free Ride for ‘Chicago: The Musical’ March 26 at Darien High School

Experienced Drivers May Get Insurance Discounts From Free March 4 AAA Class, With Lunch

Expand Your Horizons While Giving Back: Volunteer at the Maritime Aquarium

Learn How to Recognize a Stroke and What to Do: Presentation on Friday, Feb 8

New Series of Bereavement Support Group Meetings for Surviving Spouses Offered

Tips for Anyone Decluttering or Downsizing Into a Smaller Home: Presentation on Tuesday, Jan 15

Old Town Hall Homes Project Ahead of Schedule, Construction Coming

Elderly and Worried About Falling? Register for Eight-Week Program at Darien Senior Center

New Programs, Board Members, Aging Misconceptions Identified — All Part of At Home In Darien Annual Meeting

Public Safety

By David Gurliacci | April 23, 2019

Classes

By DARIENITE.COM | April 16, 2019

Healthy Living

By DARIENITE.COM | April 15, 2019

Consumer and Finances

By DARIENITE.COM | April 8, 2019

Community Organizations

By DARIENITE.COM | March 30, 2019

Public Safety

By David Gurliacci | March 26, 2019

Seniors

By DARIENITE.COM | March 19, 2019

Public Safety

By DARIENITE.COM | February 16, 2019

Animals

By DARIENITE.COM | February 3, 2019

Healthy Living

By DARIENITE.COM | February 2, 2019

Healthy Living

By DARIENITE.COM | February 1, 2019

Darien Library

By DARIENITE.COM | January 14, 2019

Government & Politics

By David Gurliacci | January 7, 2019

Healthy Living

By DARIENITE.COM | January 2, 2019

Seniors

By DARIENITE.COM | December 23, 2018

Two checks were reported stolen from an elderly Darien woman who had home aides in the house, and one of them was cashed early this month for $5,200, Darien police said. Police gave this further information:

The woman’s financial advisor recently notified her about the check for $5,200 because it seemed suspicious. The check was cashed on April 9 at a bank in New Jersey. The woman said she hadn’t written a check from that account to anyone. She looked in her checkbook and found that the two checks had been removed from it.

Experienced Fairfield County motorists can lower their auto insurance costs while improving their driving skills when they enroll in AAA’s Driver Improvement Program classes that teach the basics of defensive driving and provide current driving practice updates. — an announcement from AAA Northeast
AAA will conduct a free four-hour class at its newest location, the East Norwalk Association Library, 51 Van Zant Street, East Norwalk on Tuesday, April 23 from 9 am to 1 pm. Sgt. Ralph Fonseca of the Norwalk Police Department will lead the class. To register, go to AAA.com/DefensiveDriving or call 866-901-8457. However, walk-ins are welcome. “Our program is aimed at drivers with several years of experience, who wish to improve or refresh their driving skills,” explains Fran Mayko, AAA’s public affairs spokesman and DIP coordinator.

At Home In Darien in partnership with the Mather Center, home of Darien Senior Programs, is presenting “Healthy Living For Your Brain and Body,” a Lunch and Learn program, on Tuesday, April 30. — an announcement from At Home In Darien

The program will be held at the Mather Center, 2 Renshaw Road, from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. All Darien Seniors are invited to attend this free event. Lunch will be served at noon with the program immediately following. For centuries we’ve known that the health of the brain and the body are intimately connected. But now, science has shown how certain lifestyle choices may help keep your brain and body healthy as you age.

If you’re a senior citizen or disabled resident of Darien who rents, you may be eligible for a rebate from the the state government for the rent you paid in 2018. — an announcement from the Darien Human Services Department

The town Human Services Department will accept applications from Darien residents who meet the eligibility requirements and who apply for the rebates before Sept. 30, 2019. Eligibility requirements are:

1. Must be 65 years of age as of December 31, 2018 or disabled and collecting Social Security disability payments.

You are invited to attend a free hour-long session to become a Dementia Friend — someone who has taken the time to learn more about dementia and helps in small ways. Small gestures such as spreading the word about Dementia Friends or visiting someone living with the illness can help make our community Dementia Friendly. — an announcement from At Home In Darien

The upcoming session (second of two in Darien) takes place at 12:30 p.m., Monday, April 8 at the Mather Center home of Darien Senior Programs, 2 Renshaw Road. Gina Blum, At Home In Darien executive director, and Anne McGuire, RN, CCM, current board member and owner of Healthcare Pathfinder LLC, are Dementia Friends Champions. Dementia Friends is a global movement that is changing the way people think, act, and talk about dementia.

Updated at 6:18 p.m., Tuesday, March 26 — Darien police on Tuesday withdrew several parts of the department’s announcement about a package with $10,000 found on the doorstep of a vacant house. The parts about what happened in Darien were unchanged: The money was found, it came from an elderly woman scammed with a false story that her son had been arrested, and a man came three times, demanding the package. A Darien police detective who worked on the case gave this additional information, including changes in the original announcement (published below):

Changes:

— The victim who sent the $10,000 was from Arizona, not Maryland. — Earlier, a victim from Maryland had sent cash to the same address. The same scam was perpetrated on both victims.

— Darien police found out about the Maryland victim when a police agency in that state contacted the Darien department.

Chicago the musical high school edition Theatre 308

Darien High School’s Theater 308 has kindly invited Darien seniors to attend the dress rehearsal of Chicago The Musical at Darien High School on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 at 7 p.m.

(The date has been changed from an earlier announcement.)

Seniors can enjoy the show free of charge without the crowds expected at performances over the weekend. Free transportation to and from the Darien High School is also available through At Home In Darien. — an announcement from At Home In Darien

Using volunteer drivers in conjunction with their professional drivers, At Home In Darien has arranged for transportation at about 6:30 p.m. Seniors can be picked up at their homes and will be returned home safely after the show. Theatre 308 will present the longest running American musical in Broadway history, Chicago, the winner of six Tony Awards for its revival in 1996, takes place in the roaring twenties, a time of great political corruption and media sensationalism. Failed vaudeville performer Roxie Hart murders her faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband, Amos, to take the rap — until he finds out he’s been duped and turns on Roxie.

Experienced Fairfield County drivers can lower their auto insurance costs while improving their driving skills when they enroll in AAA’s Driver Improvement Program classes that teach the basics of defensive driving and provide current driving practice updates. — an announcement from AAA Northeast
AAA will conduct a free four-hour class at the Edgehill Senior Living, 122 Palmer Hill Road, Stamford, on Monday, March 4 from 12 noon to 4 pm. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. before the class. The class will be instructed by AAA Stamford Branch Manager Michael Ferrari and AAA Northeast Spokeswoman Fran Mayko. Edgehill is AAA’s newest location in lower Fairfield County to host the class. You can register register online here or call 866-901-8457. However, walk-ins are welcome.

Pursue your interest in marine animals and share your knowledge and enthusiasm with others by becoming a member of the volunteer staff at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. Everyone from 15-year-olds to seniors is invited. — an announcement from the Maritime Aquarium

Interviews for potential volunteers — with details provided about a training course in March — will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 13 and Thursday, Feb. 21, on both days at 5 p.m. You need attend only one.

Stamford EMS and Stamford Health are teaming up with the Stamford Senior Center to present Spot-A-Stroke — a stroke awareness program on Friday, Feb. 8. The program will help attendees recognize the common warning signs of a stroke and learn the steps to take in an emergency. In addition to an interactive demonstration of hands-only CPR, exciting advances in stroke care will be discussed. — an announcement from Stamford EMS
The free program is open to the public and will take place starting at 11:30 a.m at the Stamford Senior Center, 888 Washington Blvd, Stamford. Visit this Web page to register.

Fairfield County House in Stamford is sponsoring a series of eight bereavement support group sessions focusing on coping with the loss of a spouse. Sessions are free of charge, but pre-registration is required.
The Loss of a Spouse Support Group meets from 2 to 3:30 p.m., Mondays, Feb. 4 through March 25, 2019 at Fairfield County House, 1 Den Road, Stamford. Refreshments will be served. — an announcement from Fairfield County House
Leading the group will be the Rev. Karen Judd, a licensed clinical social worker with Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Fairfield County and an interfaith minister.

Are you thinking about downsizing? Is your home full of accumulated possessions that you don’t know how to handle? Are you unsure about where to begin? — an announcement from Darien Library

Professional Organizer Seana Turner of The Seana Method has some answers. Seana will offer strategies for the many facets of the downsizing process, including:

Where and how to begin decluttering
How to make decisions about what to keep and what to shed
How to go about moving items out of your space (e.g. donating, selling, trashing, redistributing to family members, etc.)
How to set a timeline for selling and moving

Seana’s tips will be helpful regardless of where you are in the process.

The construction project to replace Old Town Hall Homes is scheduled to have the 20 residents, who now have all moved out, return by the spring of 2020, according to Housing Authority Chairman Joe Warren. That was part of what Warren told the Board of Selectmen Monday night about the $20- to $24-million project to replace the senior housing complex with one building which will more than double the housing capacity of the site — from 22 apartments in the now-empty building to a 55-unit structure of single-bedroom apartments, except for two two-bedroom units. The two-bedroom apartments “give us the flexibility if we have somebody who needs a full-time [live-in] aide,” Warren told the selectmen. The residents who moved out of the complex have moved into new housing arrangements: Four have relocated to Hope Street in Stamford, two others in Norwalk, two others to live with their families elsewhere in New England, two passed away and the rest are all living in Darien. The housing authority is paying for any difference in rent and the residents are guaranteed housing for at least the next 18 months, he said.

“A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls,” an eight-week class to help people overcome the fear of falling, will start in early February at Darien Senior Center. The program is presented by the Fairfield University School of Nursing. — an announcement from Darien Senior Center

The first class runs from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, Tuesday, Feb. 5. Signing up is required.

Newly Elected At Home In Darien Board Members

« August 2022 »

This year’s new programs were described during At Home In Darien’s annual meeting, including a Half-Price Taxi Program for seniors, and the 70 attendees heard a talk on aging and aging programs.

— an announcement from At Home In Darien

Gina Blum, executive director, spoke to the crowd at the Dec. 6 meeting in Darien Library about the organization’s recent accomplishments. Blum was particularly proud of these 2018 milestones:

* A multi-year strategic plan to move the organization forward

* A new Half-Price Taxi Voucher Program for anytime on-demand transportation at a reasonable price

* Dementia Friend Champion Training Program completed by Blum and McGuire. The program is designed to make the community more age friendly. Upcoming programs will train Darien residents and others to become Dementia Friends.