Honoring Our Wisdom Keepers
Today is National Senior Citizen’s Day. It is one of our favorite days of the year here in HomeFront. We get to celebrate the many invaluable contributions that older adults make toward our mission. President Reagan launched this awareness day before it was adopted by the United Nations in 1990.
National Senior Citizens Day spotlights the ways older adults enrich our communities, as well as the challenges and opportunities that come with aging populations. The event inspires us to promote the well-being and rights of older neighbors. Your support and involvement have enabled us to do just that over the years. Today, we would like to take you to the homes of neighbors who were not able to contemplate aging in place comfortably until HomeFront came along. This occasion is also the perfect time to turn our shared passion for assisting older adults into more urgent action. We’ll fill you in on our plans to make 25 more homes safer and healthier for older adults nearby before winter sets in. We thank you for considering a gift of any size that can help to make homes safer, warmer and healthier for the neighbors who have built up our communities.
“Grateful for People Like You”
It should come as no surprise that so many HomeFront applicants are neighbors who continue to care for their families even after raising their children and retiring. Our volunteer groups are the perfect fit for compelling cases like Melba’s.
Melba and her husband, George, raised their family in Bridgeport while leading community improvement efforts all their lives. Now in her 70s, Melba turned to us after her husband suffered his third stroke. The home they live in had also suffered worrying declines. Melba reached out to HomeFront because their list of issues far exceeded their financial and physical abilities. Volunteers from Talmadge Community Church in Darien were so touched by Melba’s plight that they stepped up to come to Melba’s aid, travelling from five towns away. Volunteers went above and beyond for Melba, tackling an ambitious list of improvements:
new grab bars in the bathroom for George and repairs to a once hazardous deck,
replacement of 12 drafty windows, a back door and garage door,
a remedy for faulty outlets and light fixtures,
installation of a new bath vanity and faucet,
repairs to a failing shower and toilet,
demolition of an old, dangerous shed,
extensive pruning, trimming and new coats of paint to brighten their home.
Melba on the right with one of her volunteer leaders.
Melba’s grown-up children worked alongside the volunteers. Here are some images from this “feel good” effort.
When they were finished, this caregiver was so relieved that she had this to write, “THANK YOU for all of the hard work and care you’ve given. You have no idea how much this has meant to us. We’re beyond grateful that there are people in the world like you.”
When HomeFront helps older adults with our volunteer groups, it achieves another important byproduct: countering a feeling of social isolation which can be common for older adults.
Much of the funding for this effort came from the John H. & Ethel G. Noble Charitable Trust, a foundation that has been an exemplar in giving back to the aging population.
When It Becomes Their Turn
Mr. M on left with HomeFront's CPR helpers.
Many older adults, come to us with urgent, important needs that are not expansive enough for our volunteer team approach. One such request came from a very deserving candidate who encouraged us to shorten his Greek name to “Mr. M.” Mr. M was responsible for the care of his older father for many years. Shortly after his father passed away, Mr. M. was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After the surgery, he had to learn to speak and walk all over again. Now, it was Mr. M’s turn for help.
AARP coined the phrase, “solo ager,” for the growing number of Americans like Mr. M. who have, in many cases, outlived their spouse and/or have no family nearby. Mr. M’s home presented a major safety issue as he could no longer maneuver to use the shower in his tub. Goodhearted neighbors from the Greenwich Association of Realtors wanted to see what could be done to convert his tub to a walk-in shower. They swiftly passed the hat and raised funds to make it happen. This was a job for HomeFront’s Critical Pro Repair (CPR) service line. We sent construction-skilled staff to grapple with a chronic leak before giving Mr. M. his dignity and independence back. This is what caring for older adults looks like.
Mr. M's shower before.
His new shower lowers risk of falls.
Together, we have made it possible for 1,600 vulnerable older adults to age safely and comfortably in place since HomeFront began. While we are proud of those we have helped, neighbors like Mr. M and Melba have more stacked against them these days than ever before. Consider this news from the National Institutes of Health: people aged 50 and over are the fastest growing segment of homeless. They now represent 50% of all homeless person—up from 10% in 1990.
Many older adults are displaced from their homes by falls. This is a hazard that can be prevented so easily through repairs like the grab bars we installed for Melba or the tub we converted for Mr. M. According to the National Council on Aging, one in four adults over 65 falls each year. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in older adults. Even the fear of falling leads to older adults curbing social engagement. This can result in increased depression and feelings of isolation and hopelessness.
Inflation has made home repairs further out of reach. There is uncertainty for many around other safety net resources for older adults.
The good news for our older neighbors in need is that they have us on their side. HomeFront is gearing up for our 5th annual Fall HomeFront Days in September. Our construction experts and skilled volunteers are ready to tackle as many Critical Pro Repair projects as we can this Fall. Before winter sets in, we are determined to help 25 older adults live more safely and comfortably in their homes. Many of them are veterans who have served our country and now need us to stand up for them. Your support of any amount can make that possible. We can't wait to share more stories of the older adults we can help together.
Together, we can celebrate older adults not just with words today, but with real action that preserved their dignity and well-being. Helping hands are another critical part of the equation.
If you know a volunteer group that may be interested in joining us, you can reach out to Lou.
We are also seeking volunteer home visitors to help us evaluate homes in need this Fall. Click here for more information.
Volunteers with home repair skills are welcome to help year-round whenever convenient. You can learn more about helping with our Critical Pro Repair projects by contacting Lou.
On this National Senior Citizens Day, thank you for standing with those who once built up our communities—and who still make them stronger every day!
