Founded in 1981, Elderly Services is a 501(c)3 non-profit agency. Created by a community task force, we launched an adult day care center for this area of Vermont and called it Project Independence.

The late Barbara Sabourin, who was hired in 1981, worked with ESI for 40 years. “We were very small, serving a dozen people in one big room in the Methodist Church basement,” she said. “We were only open until 2 p.m. and we only had one van—one trip into the country and one into town.”

Decades later, Elderly Services is a nationally recognized leader in adult day care, and the number of elders at our center (pre-pandemic) had reached 150 weekly. According to founder 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.

Highlights of ESI history include:

  • Completed $5 million capital campaign and built our own building in 2005—the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Center for Elderly Services.
  • 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, then-commissioner of Vermont’s Department of Aging and Disabilities.
  • Featured as one of 20 national models at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-sponsored conferences on “Best Practices in Adult Day Care.”
  • 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, offering independent seniors four semesters of courses each year.
  • Created geriatric social work practice in 2001 to offer counseling and assistance to elderly individuals and couples. Innovative eldercare counseling for family members increases peace of mind.
  • Our Aging Education Center has offered talks and seminars since 1990 to area workplaces, churches, and community groups.
  • Recognized with Independent Living Award from the Vermont Department of Aging “for leadership in the field of adult day services.”
  • Awarded “Administrator of the Year” for our director, Joanne Corbett, by the National Adult Day Services Association.