Department Information

    The Town of Southbury provides comprehensive programs and services for its senior residents.  The Senior Service Department is located in the Senior/Parks and Recreation building and operates within the Town of Southbury’s municipal government structure.  The agency, as part of the local municipal government, works in conjunction with the Commission on Services for the Elderly, comprised of community residents, to identify, evaluate and meet the varied needs of the town’s senior population.  Services provided through this department include information and referral, program application services (for federal, state, and local financial assistance programs), in-town and regional senior minibus transportation, crisis intervention services, social services, and a full and active senior center schedule of educational, recreational, and enrichment activities, health promotion and health education and screening services, outreach services for frail and at-risk seniors, and family/caregiver resource services.  The agency serves as a congregate meal site and Meals on Wheels Community site.

     It is the goal of Senior Services to meet the varied needs of the municipality’s residents over 60 years of age.  Doing this entails the appropriate identification of needs and evaluation of available services on a regular basis.  The agency’s philosophy is to provide information and assistance to the individual senior client, with benefits to the client and the community.  Enhancing the quality of one’s life by providing accurate and up-to-date information in the most sensitive manner is essential while fully understanding the obstacles many senior residents of Southbury face.

     The Senior Service Department evolved into a much more comprehensive, “one stop shopping” type atmosphere over the last ten years as a response to the growing population and diverse needs.  The early part-time days of this department addressed the need for recreation through the Senior Center.  A part-time Municipal Agent was present to address social service needs and assistance applying for various government programs.  Today the Town of Southbury employs a full-time Director of Elderly Services/Municipal Agent who provides a wide range of services for residents over 60, including but not limited to home visits, consults on Medicare/Medigap policies and other insurance issues, assistance applying for various government programs including rent relief, energy assistance, and ConnPace,  and coordinating educational seminars to address long-term care, home care options, and many others.  The Director of Elderly Services also oversees departmental programs, including the  full-time senior center and minibus program.  Senior center activities have shifted its focus to more wellness related programming.

     As mentioned above, the Department also has a contractual agreement with New Opportunities for Waterbury for the congregate meal site and Meals on Wheels.  The Friendly Visitor program, also sponsored by New Opportunities for Waterbury, is stationed out of this department.  This program matches lonely and homebound elderly residents with a volunteer visitor once per week to help break through issues of isolation.

 The Number of People We Serve

     During the last Fiscal Year, the Senior Center had over 1,000 unduplicated individuals participate in activities and programs.  The Senior Service Office provided consults on various government programs, long-term care planning, housing and many other issues to over 300 unduplicated individuals, totaling over 600 units of service.  The minibuses provided over 5,000 one-way trips to more than one-hundred unduplicated riders.

 Hours of Operation

     The Department, including the Senior Center is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 AM-4:30 PM. The minibuses operate Monday – Friday from 9:00 PM- 4:00 PM.

New Transportation Service Available

     Thanks to a grant awarded in July 2006, the Town of Southbury is pleased to announce the commencement of a new transportation service.  This service provides part-time transportation on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to medical appointments located outside of  the service area such as Danbury, Waterbury and New Haven.  You must be 60 years of age or under 60 and disabled to utilize the service.  Please contact Sandy Saren, Coordinator at 262-0653 for information and to obtain a schedule.