Simsbury volunteers set Nov. 15 "Aging in Place" seminar under AARP grant; Patty Gallagher to speak on home adaptations

Commission member (name not specified) said the Simsbury Aging & Disability Commission will hold the final session of an AARP-funded “Aging in Place” seminar on Saturday, Nov. 15, with setup at 1:30 p.m. and the program running from 2 to 3 p.m.

"I anticipate that that won't have nearly as many folks as we had at the expo. So we'll probably have 20, 25 people coming," Commission member (name not specified) said, describing expected attendance.

The presenter scheduled for the session is Patty Gallagher of Avon Plumbing and Heating. Commission members said Gallagher holds a Certificate for Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS), awarded by the National Association of Home Builders. Commission member (name not specified) described the CAPS credential as intended to "provide information for people... to provide people who help adapt homes to be sure they're undertaking ADA regulations." The seminar topic is home alteration and adaptation measures to help older adults and residents with disabilities remain in their homes.

Members said the seminar is part of an AARP grant and an action plan the commission has filed with AARP. They reviewed an AARP action-plan matrix distributed in advance and discussed using it as a planning and partner-tracking tool. "We are supposed now that we've filed the action plan, we are supposed to be assessing the impact of implementing the plan all along the way," a commission member said, noting the group must regularly evaluate efforts and share updates with partner organizations.

At the meeting members referenced an AARP webinar that featured Fairfield, Conn., including comments by Mark Barnhart, identified by meeting participants as Fairfield's director of commerce and economic development, and volunteer groups called the Fairfield Senior Advocates. Members said Fairfield has an affordable housing commission and used cross-generational volunteer groups in its approach; one participant cited Herb Lemkuhler (spelled in the meeting as "Lemkuhler") as an example of local volunteer leadership mentioned in the webinar.

Logistics discussed included refreshments (water and cookies), use of the commission tablecloth and who would transport it. Members noted the tablecloth was to be used at the children's expo on the coming Sunday and that Margaret (name given, role not specified) currently has it. Several members volunteered to help set up and provide materials.

The commission described itself as a volunteer body that relies on partnerships for implementing recommendations from the AARP plan. "We are still obviously a group of volunteers. We can't make these determinations," one member said; members emphasized forging connections with local partners as the primary means to advance projects identified in the action plan.

The meeting included no formal votes or policy actions; because a quorum was not present the commission postponed any membership votes or approval of minutes.

The discussion and details outlined above were drawn from the commission's meeting transcript.