Set to “Age Out Loud” In Communities Across The State

Bristol, CT--Getting older isn’t the same these days. For many aging Americans, it is an invigorating time when interests, goals, and dreams can get a new or second start. Today, aging is about eliminating outdated perceptions and living the way that suits you best.

Take Barbara Hillary, for example. A nurse for 55 years who dreamed of travel, at age 75 Hillary became the first African American woman to set foot on the North Pole. In 2011, at age 79, she set another first when she stepped onto the South Pole. Former president George H.W. Bush celebrated his 90th birthday by skydiving. Actress Betty White, now 95 years old, became the oldest person to host Saturday Night Live in 2010, coincidentally during May—the same month recognized as Older Americans Month (OAM).

“As Connecticut’s older adults embrace living in a state where the population over 65 is growing ten times faster than any other segment, this year’s Age Out Loud theme is gaining a lot of momentum,” says Molly Rees Gavin, president of Connecticut Community Care. “Every day we hear that older adults are doing more, from exercising to engaging with friends in their communities and travelling with family. This is a very active group making plans to stay active well into their 90s.”

To capitalize on this growing trend, Connecticut Community Care, now in its 40th year of serving individuals of all ages and abilities, redesigned its logo and website, a demonstration of the organization’s commitment to serving clients with a more responsive, updated look that allows for easier access to programs and services. Visit at www.ctcommunitycare.org

Connecticut Community Care will further capitalize on OAM 2017 by continuing to focus on how older adults in our communities are redefining aging—through work or family interests, by taking charge of their health and staying independent for as long as possible, and through their community and advocacy efforts. We can also use this opportunity to learn how we can best support and learn from our community’s older members.

Just recently, ten senior centers and community-based organizations in Connecticut have been tapped as sites for the Aging Mastery Program® (AMP), a 10-week series of incentive-based health and wellness classes for residents 55 and over, developed by the National Council on Aging (NCOA); coordinated in Connecticut by Connecticut Community Care and sponsored in part by the Connecticut Community Foundation.

AMP participating sites include: Bloomfield Senior Center, Canoe Brook Senior Center (Branford), Groton Senior Center, Hebron Senior Center, Litchfield Community Center, Newington Senior and Disabled Center, New Milford Senior Center, Regional YMCA Western CT at New Hope Baptist Church in Danbury and the YMCA Greenknoll Branch in Brookfield, and Woodbury Senior Center. More sites are expected.

Connecticut Community Care is the state’s leading nonprofit care management organization, serving more than 15,000 older adults and those with disabilities with care at-home options, and providing wellness and prevention programs, and corporate and community education initiatives.