Two villages serve Sussex seniors who are aging in place
With the opening of Brandywine Village Network Sussex County, the wider community now boasts two villages to support older adults aging in place. Greater Lewes Community Village, in operation for the past three years, serves the Lewes and Milton communities. Brandywine Village Network, which started more than four years ago in northern Delaware, has now expanded its reach south and serves primarily the Rehoboth, Dewey and Harbeson communities.
Both organizations use a network of volunteers to provide assistance to senior, including activities such as transportation for medical appointments, grocery shopping and small home repairs. The villages also offer social programs and activities that encourage interaction and independence that enable seniors to remain in their homes for as long as possible. “Seniors are retiring in record numbers here, and those 80 years and over are increasing exponentially,” said Marty D’Erasmo, GLCV President. “We recognize that because there is so much need in our area, that while we are two organizations, we can work together to provide the volunteer services and programs that matter most to seniors in Sussex County.”
Dory Zatuchni, chief executive officer of Jewish Family Services of Delaware, said the Brandywine Village Network of Eastern Sussex is an extension of the services her organization now offers. “Our professional master’s-level social workers will provide a continuum of care through in-home assessments for the eastern Sussex aging population,” she said.
Rabbi Beth Cohen of Seaside Jewish Community said, “Area residents are truly blessed to have these two village programs working to help older adults remain independent and stay in their homes as they age. They bring amazing benefits for village members in need of the services the organizations provide, the volunteers who work with members to provide some of those services and vendors in the areas of eastern Sussex County served by these two programs.” Cohen said, “Aging in place is not just a phrase, it’s a reality, thanks to the Greater Lewes Community Village and the Brandywine Village Network of Eastern Sussex.”
For more information, contact Jackie Sullivan, executive director of Greater Lewes Community Village, at 302-703-2568, or Joanne Saltzberg, volunteer coordinator for the Brandywine Village Network of Eastern Sussex, at 302-827-6040.
