Don McCabe and Judy Pond

In the wake of the Haiti earthquake and at just about every corner of our planet, people are either losing their homes or are forced to leave them for one reason or another. While humans readily adapt, one of our species’ greatest priorities is to set up camp within a social group to create a safety net that better ensures stability and security for long-term survival.

In June 2009, a notice was informally distributed inviting people to attend the first informational meeting about aging gracefully in one’s own home and community. Judy Pond, about a week away from retiring from teaching at the Richmond Middle School, said, “Okay, dammit! I guess I’m officially old, now, so I’d better go!” So, she decided to see what “this idea was all about.”

“I drove to the library where the meeting was to take place that afternoon in June. I was about 10 minutes late. As I approached, I saw cars parked on both sides of Main Street, down Hazen Street…I thought to myself, “Wow, I wonder what other event is going on?”

One hundred twenty-nine people showed up to find out what this was all about! Aging In Place in Norwich (AIPN) had begun.

Aging in Place is not unique to Norwich. There are other community groups around the country placing a priority on this concept. The national initiative’s website says, “Aging in Place is an initiative of Partners for Livable Communities (Partners) and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a). It was developed to help America’s communities prepare for the aging of their population and to become places that are good to grow up, live in and grow old.”

Norwich members have looked to some of these agencies and to other model communities around the country (Beacon Hill Village in Boston) for ideas, as well as spoken to other town groups doing something similar. For example, having a common place to gather is important for the aging population. In Pomfret, the General Store is used for just such a place. Where might we create a space like this in Norwich? The Historical Society and Community Center? Dan & Whit’s? Tracy Hall? Norwich Inn? AIPN will explore topics like this and others as it develops and receives greater input from members over time.

Left to right: John and Jean Lawe, Warren Thayer and Nancy LeSourd, Service Day volunteers.

While seemingly simple and inconsequential, potluck suppers offer up benefits that are not always readily seen. Many seniors who may otherwise be uncomfortable speaking up in larger, formal settings feel more at ease talking about topics of importance to them with their neighbors sitting at a kitchen table. There are 70 “neighborhood areas” in Norwich. The ultimate goal would be to have each of these neighborhoods hold at least one potluck in each community in order to survey people about what they would like AIPN to do. Not everyone will attend every time, most likely, but even the connections made through the invitation process will be an act of good community at work.

While planning potluck events is a good start, soon after the steering committee was formed there was talk of conducting a survey to discover what are some other real needs and priorities for Norwich’s aging population.

“Bonnie Munday [town clerk] said she already knows many people who need help…so we said, ‘let’s not wait for the survey but get to work!’” said Judy.

Hosting Service Day was an obvious perfect fit to keep the AIPIN momentum going. The first one took place on January 23 and it was a great success! The group plans to make this a monthly offering.

“At first it was hard to get the word out,” said Don McCabe. “We started by reaching out to some key people in town who are somewhat of a ‘family of interested people’…those who are out there doing for the town already.”

As is typical in a small town, the word spread with the help of bright yellow flyers placed around town at the usual spots, and a message posted on the Norwich listserv.

“AIPN SERVICE DAY!

GET OR GIVE HELP, OR BOTH!

Saturday, January 23, from 10 – 4

• Are there tasks around your home that you have been putting off because of illness, fading eyesight, or physical infirmity?

• Could these tasks be done by an ordinary person who is NOT a rocket scientist, NOT an electrician, NOT a computer programmer?

• We are asking ordinary people to volunteer to help you with tasks you might need done…

Our goal is to make a start at connecting volunteers with people who need a bit of help aging in place in Norwich – in other words, staying in their homes as long as possible.  We hope to sponsor a service day each month, and eventually to extend our program to cover needs 24/7…”

According to Judy who is the AIPN volunteer coordinator, five Norwich seniors requested and received help that day. Over 8 hours of service was performed by the volunteers who include: Sophia Crawford, Frank and Gail Dolan, Becky Eakin, Judy Pond, Nancy LeSourd and Warren Thayer. Some of the work performed by these volunteers on that milestone Saturday include: moving potted plants, sharpening knives, polishing silver, taking recycling to the transfer station, disposing of a Christmas tree, mopping and vacuuming, giving a ride to the Co-op to select fresh produce, computer training and moving furniture and items hard to reach. Additionally, John and Jean Lawe, Uwe Bagnato, Sophia Crawford, Vickie Kreider, Don McCabe and Judy Pond were also on hand to help with registration and other administrative details. Having the volunteers fill out the paperwork will prove to be quite useful when further assessing the needs of Norwich’s elderly and when it comes time to submit grant applications to fund additional services.

Don McCabe believes that “personal touch” and creating social connections is what will help make this really work. The Service Day allowed the elders of Norwich who took advantage of the volunteer efforts to feel good about getting some projects accomplished that they are no longer able to do. Marjorie Hybels [see cover story] said she was quite pleasantly surprised at how helpful it actually was.

“This is the first year I was unable to go down cellar to get my bulbs. I’ve been advised by my children and by some medical professionals that it is no longer safe for me to go down the cellar stairs because my balance is not so good. To have the volunteer [Nancy LeSourd] go to the cellar to get my bulbs and then plant them was a big help. They have all sprouted already!”

Mrs. Hybels knows the importance of making available services like these for the elderly. In the 1970s she organized her former hometown’s Area Agency on Aging in Needham, Mass and was a United Way Volunteer of the Year in 1990 for having taught over 1000 people how to lipread to better cope with hearing loss. The advice she would give to AIPN is to “start off slowly and to make sure that for every volunteer who signs up to work, there is someone in need of service. Otherwise it will be hard to continue to attract good volunteers.”

At the end of the day, good old-fashioned hard work pays off and everyone involved reaps the rewards. AIPN is up and running and presumably here to stay…at least that is what the founding members have in mind:

As volunteers, we are not merely altruistic; we intend that a thriving, stable AIPN organization will be there for us when we need it in future years!

What the Service Day volunteers had to say:

“We’ve gotten off to an enthusiastic start. Volunteerism is alive and well in Norwich!”

—Judy Pond

This was our first effort. It went very smoothly. We are in this for the long haul.

—Jean Lawe

A surprising number of kids are getting more involved in volunteering in general. It’s nice to see.

—Warren Thayer

“I’m all for ‘neighbor to neighbor’ helping. It’s really nice to barter our time without money involved. One woman just wanted to be taken to the Co-op to go grocery shopping. While groceries can be delivered, there is something satisfying about being able to actually shop and look at and choose what you want to buy.”

—Nancy LeSourd