August 2024

August at a Glance

Fri., Aug. 2, 9, 16, 23, 10am - Walk at Irwin Park with Kate

Wed., Aug. 7, 12pm - Lunch at Cava Restaurant in New Canaan

Tues., Aug. 13, 4pm - Tour of New Canaan Play House

Wed., Aug. 14, 10am - Men's Coffee with Councilman Tom Butterworth

Thurs., Aug. 15, 10am - Ladies' Coffee at Staying Put

Tues., Aug. 20, 5:30pm to 7:30pm - Woodway Beach Club Potluck BBQ

Thurs., Aug. 22, 5:30pm - Woodway Beach Club Potluck BBQ - RAIN DATE

Wed., Aug. 28, 9am to 12:30pm - Swap Shop Pick Up

Thurs., Aug. 29, 10am - Men's Coffee at Staying Put

Welcome New Members!

Glenda and Dave Green, Les Sheppard

The Staying Put Office is closed Aug. 30th and Sept. 2nd

for the Labor Day Holiday.

MEMBER EVENTS - CALL 203-966-7762 to RSVP

Fri., Aug. 2, 9, 16, 23, 10am: Irwin Park Walk with Kate. Come enjoy a lovely walk with Kate. Please meet in the lower parking lot at Irwin Park and don't forget your sneakers and water bottle. Note - this is for active members with no mobility issues. Please note the earlier time. Free. RSVP by Thursday prior.

Wed., Aug. 7, 12pm: Lunch at Cava.

Join your Staying Put friends for a lunch at Cava. Order from the Prixe Fixe menu, which includes a starter and entree. $26. Cash or check made out to Staying Put. RSVP by Mon., Aug 5th.

Tues., Aug. 13, 4pm. Tour of The New Canaan Playhouse. Curious to see the remodeled Playhouse? Join us on a tour led by Playhouse Director of Events, Jayne Benton. Carpool available at the Staying Put office. Free. RSVP by Mon., Aug. 12th.

Wed., Aug 14, 10am: Men's Coffee with Town Council Member Tom Butterworth at Staying Put. Learn about what's going on in Town with Councilman and Co-Chair of the Ordinance Committee, Mr. Butterworth. Informal coffee with Q&A. Free. RSVP by Tues., Aug. 13th.

Thurs., Aug. 15, 10am: Ladies' Coffee at Staying Put. Join Staying Put friends for coffee, treats and good conversation.  Free. RSVP by Wed., Aug. 14th.

Tues., Aug. 20, 5:30pm - 7:30pm: Potluck BBQ at Woodway Beach Club. Join Staying Put for the annual Potluck BBQ at Woodway Beach Club. We will provide hot dogs and hamburgers and the fixings, and ask that you please bring an appetizer, salad or dessert to share (deviled eggs, shrimp, cheese and crackers, salads, cookies and brownies). Call the office at 203-966-7762 to RSVP and confirm what you will bring. Rain date Thurs., Aug. 22, 5:30pm - 7:30pm. Free. RSVP by Fri., Aug 16th.

Wed., Aug 28, 9:00am to 12:30pm: The Swap Shop Pick Up. Looking to declutter or maybe you have items you don't want any more but don't want them thrown out? Sign up for a spot to have your items picked up and brought to the Swap Shop. Slots are available on a first come, first served basis. Call the office at 203-966-7762 for a list of acceptable items and to sign up. Free. RSVP by Mon. Aug. 26th.

Thurs., Aug. 29, 10am: Men's Coffee at Staying Put. Join Staying Put friends for coffee, treats and good conversation.  Free. RSVP by Wed., Aug. 28th.

August

Member Birthdays

Jim Bach, Anne Brownley, Sherm Bull, Rodney Chabot, Lyn Chivvis,

Tom DeMartino, Molly DePatie,

Mike Farrell, Gil Foster, Ellen Gaw, Nancy Gilbert, Josefina Lopez,

Winky Lowry, Peter Muller, Marueen Munro, Ceci Murray, Gloria Staba, Paul Stein, Ensaf Thune, Antoinette Vardamis, Dan Ward, Bob Widen

Community Grants to Benefit Staying Put

Staying Put is honored, and very grateful, to have received several community grants this Spring that enable us to fulfill our mission of helping older New Canaan residents live confidently at home and stay engaged in the community by providing practical services and social connections.

Our most sincere thanks for grants from the following:

* Exchange Club of New Canaan Foundation 

* New Canaan Community Foundation 

* Rotary Club of New Canaan Charitable Foundation 

Hello From Kate

I'd like to take the opportunity to give a little nod to our volunteer drivers. I always hear about how good it feels to see these friendly faces pull up to your home and how wonderful conversations transpire. And our volunteers feel the exact same way about all of you. They are the reason Staying Put is a reliable, trustworthy resource for New Canaan. But sometimes it's also good to have facts that reinforce what we think we already know. Did you know in the past year (July 2023-June 2024) our volunteer drivers:



• Fulfilled 1,609 rides for members
• Drove 19,626 miles around New Canaan, Darien, Norwalk, Stamford and Wilton which would have cost Staying Put $12,331.62 in mileage reimbursement
• Donated 1,171.75 hours of their time which let's face it, is priceless

So please give a heartfelt thank you to all of our volunteer drivers the next time you see them. And since we are welcoming so many new members in these warm summer months, we thought it an excellent time to remind everyone how amazing our ride service is, but also, how to best use it:

Rides and Requests are limited (because our volunteers are limited!)

Please -

*No more than 3 round trips per week for Individuals.

*No more than 4 round trips per week for Households (for 2 members).

*No more than 2 errands per week.

*We ask for at least 24-hour notice for medical and at least 48-hour notice for non-medical appointments.

*Multiple stops count as multiple rides.

*Errands get counted even if they are looped into a medical or other ride request.

*We offer rides within New Canaan, Nowalk, Darien, Stamford and Wilton.

*We offer rides during our business hours. 9am-5pm Monday - Thursday, 9am-1pm on Friday. If the office is closed (after hours or in observation of holidays or due to extreme weather) we do not provide transportation.

Once you’ve made the appointment with one of our staff or desk volunteers you can consider the ride confirmed. We will call you the morning of your ride to confirm your driver.

Please wear your seatbelt!

Scheduling Your Ride with Staying Put

Make sure you have the date, time and address of your appointment. The doctor's name, suite number, specific entrance for drop off and pick up is extremely helpful.



Let us know if you will be traveling with an aide, an assistive device, and/or any special car needs (for example: if low cars are difficult for you to get in and out of, let us know!) 

Let us know if you will meet your driver outside of the home/appointment, or if you would like them to walk you to the door, or to the specific office. This allows our volunteers to plan their time as well. 

We keep all these notes on file, so it's helpful and important to know if and when your situation changes. To schedule a ride call (203) 966-7762.

GetAbout New Canaan

GetAbout offers rides to any New Canaan resident unable to drive themself permanently or due to a temporary condition. A fleet of 7 wheelchair accessible vans are in operation Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. GetAbout offers rides for any purpose within New Canaan and for medical purposes to Stamford, Darien, Norwalk and Wilton. GetAbout is a non-profit organization and does not charge fees for rides, though there has been a traditional $3.00 per ride suggested contribution. Rides must be booked at least 48 hours in advance and rides are based on availability. To book a ride, please call: (203) 972-7433 or go to getaboutnc.org for more information.

AARP Safe Driving Course

Sign Up Early - Space is Limited!

Wednesday, September 25, 9:30am - 1:30pm

$20 for AARP members; $25 for non-members

Refresh your driving skills with The AARP Smart Driver™ course. Learn more about driver safety strategies, accident avoidance, and defensive driving. Completion of the course may help you save on your auto insurance!

Only 20 spots; Pre-registration can be made online at aarp.org/drive (which allows credit card payment) or by calling 203-594-3620

with cash or check payments.

Transportation Testimonials

Gayle, who has lived in her New Canaan home since 1969, first read about aging in place organizations in The New York Times in 2006. She recalled thinking it was a great idea, and then found out that Staying Put was forming right here in New Canaan. With regard to transportation Gayle shared, “I was doing things with Staying Put before I needed rides but I kind of always knew it was there, thank goodness, because that would have been terrible to not have a way to get around. It’s just the answer because I haven’t driven for years due to my eyesight, and they have just been wonderful in providing transportation.”

“The volunteer ride program has been fantastic and will take me places that I really couldn’t have gotten to otherwise,” said Lea, who (with her husband) have been long time members of Staying Put. Lea remarked that the volunteers “enjoy what they’re doing so that makes it wonderful for me! Everyone that I have met is always so positive and comes to it with a great attitude of helping, and you don’t feel like it’s a pain in the neck to them at all. Everyone that takes me places seems so happy that I’m still active and doing all of these things, particularly they get a kick out of my painting class. Sometimes they come in with me and see what’s going on, so it’s a mutual kind of appreciation.”

Peter approached Staying Put in 2020 about becoming a volunteer driver, and then got involved at the Board level, currently serving as Board Chair. He commented, “When I retired, I needed to do something, and my mother’s voice rang in my head ‘make yourself useful’. The volunteer opportunity at Staying Put certainly filled that, but it went way beyond that. You meet some really interesting people, and you hear their stories and that’s what I find to be continually fulfilling, interesting, and very rewarding to me.” Peter shared, “As a driver I see firsthand what we do to help individuals who have to give up their car. It’s the small stuff, it’s doctor’s appointments, it’s drugstores, it’s the bank, it’s any number of things that we can offer a ride for, and that is an incredible part of what we do.”

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Waveny 2024 Summer Concert Series

Wednesdays, Aug. - Sept., 7pm - 9pm

Raindate on Thursdays

Bring your own blanket or chair and enjoy a free concert at Waveny Park.

Alzheimer's Support Group with the

Waveny LifeCare Network

Wed., Aug. 28, 2pm to 3pm

Tate Conference Room, New Canaan Library

Family members, caregivers, and friends are invited to meet for informative and supportive group sessions to help navigate changes related to memory loss and cognitive decline. This event will be facilitated by Rachel Takacs, Certified Dementia Practitioner and Director of Navigation at Waveny LifeCare Network. Attendees can find guidance, offer support, and ask questions in a safe environment. To register go to newcanaanlibrary.org or call (203) 594-5000.

Lapham Center Programs

Call 203-594-3620 for more information and to RSVP.

Thurs., Aug. 1, 15, by appointment: Free Medicare Counseling.

Medicare counselor, Dick Neville, can guide you through enrolling in Medicare, choosing a Medicare supplement plan and a Part D prescription drug plan, and understanding the Medicare Advantage Plans. Free.

Mon., Aug. 5, 19, 11:15am - 12:15pm: Blood Pressure Clinic. 

In person clinic. Call to schedule an appointment. Free. 

Thurs., Aug. 8, 2pm - 4pm, by appointment: Ask the Attorney

with Nedder and Associates.

Private, 15-minute consultations to answer your legal or financial questions.

Free.

Wed, Aug. 14, 28, 1pm - 2pm: Blood Sugar Screenings.

Ellen Samai from New Canaan's Dept. of Health will provide blood sugar testing. Call 203-594-3620 to schedule an appointment. Free.

Staying Put in New Canaan Services and Staff

Our Team is Here for You

We provide New Canaan seniors with a wide range of practical services and social connections - from rides to helping with errands, minor home repairs and technology, to brightening the day with a call or visit - all making it easier for seniors to live confidently at home and stay engaged in the community.

Gina Z. Blum, Executive Director

director@stayingputnc.org

Kate Brambilla, Manager of Member Services

members@stayingputnc.org

Robin Bates-Mason, Manager of Events & Volunteers

events@stayingputnc.org

Office Hours

Monday - Thursday, 9am to 5pm

Friday, 9am to 1pm

Please call us anytime

at 203-966-7762

Gina, Kate and Robin