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112 Exchange Street
P.O. Box 581
Middlebury, VT 05753
(802) 388-3983
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Who
We Are
Our Mission
It is the mission
of Elderly Services to provide creative, high quality programs to help
elders live safe and satisfying lives in their own homes and
communities.
Growing
Old With Dignity
"Aging."
"Getting old." These are words Americans don't like. Some say we are
the most youth oriented culture in history. Because of this, many
elderly American men and women face depression, loss of purpose, and
loneliness.
Elderly Services wants to be part of a
revolution. We want to help
people grow old with dignity, pleasure, community, and a sense of
purpose.
Six days a week we greet our elderly adult
day care
participants with affection and enjoyment. Our home away from home is a
place where elders whose independence has lessened are treated with
respect and dignity. Fun is a priority. Having a reason to get up in
the morning is therapy for some who have lost a sense of purpose or
routine. Getting out of the house, being in an entertaining and loving
social circle, and feeling spirits lift- this is what we want for
elders who have had a stroke, who are very frail, or who have a chronic
illness.
Our idea is catching on. Over the past ten
years, Elderly
Services has more than quadrupled the number of elderly it serves.
David Yacovone, Vermont's former Commissioner of the Department of
Aging and Disabilities has called us, "...the standard by which
we measure all other adult day programs in Vermont."
Come join us in promoting quality of life for Vermont elders.
Elderly Services is a private,
non-profit agency dedicated to
serving the needs of elders and their families since 1981.
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Caring Since 1981
A Brief History
In the
late 1970's a
forward-thinking committee in Addison County, Vermont gave birth to
Project Independence, and one of the nation's earliest adult day care
centers came into being. Originally administered by the Counseling
Service of Addison County, Project Independence was formed to meet a
growing need to provide care and socialization for frail elderly
wanting to live at home. "We had some services in place for the elderly
then," says Anne Ginevan, one of Elderly Services' original
incorporators, "but recognized the need for more. We modeled our center
on the only other existing adult day care in the state. We started with
five participants." Little did the founders dream that 20 years later
Addison County's center would be featured at national conferences for
"Best Practices in Adult Day Care". In 1981 Elderly Services was
created as a new organization to administer Project Independence and
address the needs of older people. Barbara Sabourin, 80, was hired in
1981 and still works with us. "We were very small, maybe a dozen people
in one big room in the Methodist Church basement. We were only open
until 2 p.m. and we only had one van- one trip into the country and one
into town." By 1990 Elderly Services had moved from the Catholic
convent to the Congregational Church's Charter House. We had hired a
nurse, initiated an Alzheimer's Disease program, established our own
van transportation, and had served an average of 15 elderly people a
day for several years. Eighteen years later Elderly Services is a
nationally recognized leader in adult day care, and the number of
elders we serve each day has more than quadrupled. According to Anne
Ginevan, "We were only the second adult day care center in the state,
but today I believe wholeheartedly we are the best." More and more
families are choosing our adult day care center to avoid nursing home
placement for their elderly relative.
1993-2008
Fifteen years of Transformation
- Completed $5 million capital campaign
and opened the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Center for Elderly
Services in 2005
- Established Elderly Services as the
largest, most highly developed
center in Vermont. Cited as "...the standard by which we measure all
other adult day programs in Vermont", by David Yacovone, former Vermont
State Commissioner of the Department of Aging and Disabilities.
- Chosen as one of 50 national model
centers by the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation, Partners in Caregiving Adult Day Care Initiative.
- Featured as one of 20 national models at
the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation-sponsored conferences on "Best Practices in Adult Day Care".
- Designated one of 16 national Teaching
Model Centers by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative.
- Addressed skyrocketing demand for adult
day care by creating an
innovative afternoon-evening program and six day weekly schedule.
- Obtained Veterans Administration
certification, "Medicaid provider status", and Medicare certification
for mental health care.
- Created ESI College Lifelong Learning
Center in 2005
- Created new services including Geriatric
Mental Health Program; Eldercare Counseling; and Aging Education Center.
- Launched research partnership with the
University of Massachusetts Gerontology Center.
- Celebrating 27 years of serving elders
and their families with success and joy!
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Call 802-388-3983 and ask for
Joanne or Pat.
e-mail: mail@elderlyservices.org
Let us be your partner in aging
positively or providing eldercare to a loved one!
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