AOASCC News & Notes
Spotlight on Volunteers

“The only thing constant is change.” Heraclitus

The pandemic required everyone to find new approaches. This was true for Experience Corps Greater New Haven, too.

Experience Corps volunteers worked hard this year to learn and provide the Experience Corps tutoring model using Zoom. Twenty-three children in grades 1-3 were tutored by their assigned tutor for 30-minute, structured, biweekly sessions that focused on improving reading fluency. Experience Corps tutoring took place after the school day when the child was at home and all sessions included a volunteer monitor who assisted the tutor and promoted safety. Volunteer tutors and their students overcame technology challenges and internet glitches to form strong mentoring relationships that encouraged learning.

According to year-end reading assessments, 78% of the students improved their reading accuracy and 57% read at or above their grade-level benchmark. Family survey results showed that 94% of parents/guardians reported seeing improvement in their students’ reading skills and 100% of parents/guardians gave tutor’s skills a rating of 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale
Next fall, Experience Corps will need even more volunteers to bring virtual reading tutoring to more children.
AOASCC sends best wishes with Sheila Greenstein as she moves out of state after serving as the Experience Crops Greater New Haven Program Manager since 2006. We also extend a warm welcome to our new manager, Tom Mead.
Caregiver Corner - Honor

I was speaking with a family caregiver recently and asked how she was holding up as she cared for her 105 year old mother. She replied that she felt very fortunate to have her mother with her at this late stage in life. It wasn’t the response I anticipated. There is so much talk about the “burden” of caregiving; the stress; the health consequences for the caregiver. It’s easy to overlook the positive aspects. When this caregiver said, “ I’m fortunate to still have Mom”, the simple beauty of her love for her mother was apparent. At every age we have the opportunity to share our love for our parents and it’s a gratifying feeling. Caregiving for a parent is one way we can express our love for our parents and honor them.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day and Fathers’ Day each spring, let’s also celebrate the sons and daughters who honor their mothers and fathers every day by being their caregivers.
Care for the Caregiver Support Group

Please join Patricia and Kathi every 2nd Tuesday of the month from 4pm-5pm via Zoom for our virtual support group. Our goal is to explore many topics related to caregiving as well as sharing your experiences with other caregivers. Support groups provide a safe and supportive environment and can provide additional tools that can help throughout your caregiving journey.

Call Patricia Soos at 203-785-8533 X3159 or email at psoos@aoascc.org to register. Once you are registered the Zoom link will be provided. 
Did You Know?
  • 80% of older adults have at least one chronic condition, such as diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease. Nearly 70% of Medicare beneficiaries have two or more.
  • The leading causes of death among older adults in the U.S. are chronic diseases—heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes.
  • Chronic diseases can limit a person’s ability to perform daily activities, cause them to lose their independence, and result in the need for institutional care, in-home caregivers, or other long-term services and supports.
  • Multiple chronic diseases account for two-thirds of all health care costs and 93% of Medicare spending.
  • Yet, less than 1% of U.S. health care dollars is spent on prevention to improve overall health.
Go for Local

It's farmers market time! Did you know that many farmers markets accept SNAP and some even double SNAP dollars? SNAP4CT

Visit our website & find out how SNAP can make your grocery dollars go further!
The CHOICES program can provide you with individualized, and unbiased Medigap options counseling. You can reach a counselor at 800-994-9422. 

CHOICES is the state health insurance program where certified counselors are available to provide accurate, impartial information about Medicare.