Home Haven's Kerry Triffin and Lauri Lowell at WNHH FM.
It takes a village — or five virtual villages — to help seniors age in a free, fulfilling, and community-connected fashion.
So we’re learning in New Haven and Hamden.
The lesson is found in the growth of a nonprofit that enables seniors to remain in their homes if they wish, rather than in an assisted-living facility or nursing home. Which is a big deal now that 70 is the new 55 (or 50?).
The nonprofit, HomeHaven, was founded in 2011 under the direction of New Haven civic superstar Bitsie Clark. Part of the National Village Movement, HomeHaven creates local communities of seniors (aged 65 – 98) who need some help if they want to remain in their homes. The help ranges from practical advice on finding plumbers or getting groceries delivered or computers to work right; it also offers virtual and in-person conversations and meet-ups and outings with other members.
The project has taken off in New Haven and Hamden. HomeHaven has grown to 220 members belonging to one of five distinct “villages” organized in Downtown/Fair Haven; East Rock; Westville; Amity (Bethany/Orange/Woodbridge); and Hamden/North Haven.
And the organization is emerging from the pandemic with a mix of virtual and renewed in-person events. Recent events have included a Hammonasset State Park walk, a garden party, a Thimble Islands cruise, a group Shakespeare in the Park outing, al fresco dining at Caffe Bravo, and regular coffee shop meet-ups.
“Society has not caught up with” the medical and social needs of seniors who are living far longer in retirement than in the past, Lauri Lowell, HomeHaven’s current executive director, observed during a conversation on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program. “Isolation is the new smoking.”
Click on the video to watch the full conversation with Home Haven Executive Director Lauri Lowell and board chair Kerry Triffin on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven.” Click here for more information on how to join or donate money or volunteer for Home Haven.
