Drew Proposes Senior Citizen Property Tax Programs

The Finance and Government Operations Commission voted on Wednesday evening to send to the full council an ordinance with three programs to provide tax relief for senior citizens. Mayor Dan Drew presented the programs to the Commission, with the technical support of Damon Braasch of the Tax Office. Each of the programs provides either a tax credit, a tax freeze, or a tax deferral.

With FGO approval, the tax relief ordinance will be voted on by the full Common Council at

Middletown Senior Citizens Swim Event!

Removed by author. Awaiting official press release with corrected information and event title from official Event Committee.

Yellow Dot Program for Seniors

At last night's Westfield Resident's Association (WRA) Quarterly Meeting, Ed Dypa spoke about a new program for seniors called Yellow Dot. Sponsored by TRIAD, a partnership of law enforcement, senior services and the business community, Yellow Dot is designed to help save seniors' lives in the event of a car emergency. Middletown is the 60th community chartered in CT to be a part of this national program.

Seniors aged 60 and up are eligible for the free service. The program is simple: seniors register by filling out a yellow health form and having their picture taken. This information is then placed in the glove compartment of their car and a yellow sticker is placed on the back window of the car. In the event of an accident, or if a senior has a medical issue while in his or her car, First Responders (Fire, Police and Medical) in Middletown have been trained to look for the sticker, to access the medical information, and to treat the individual accordingly.

According to The Chronicle I received in today's mail, TRIAD will hold a free registration on Tuesday, February 22 and Tuesday, March 22 from 9am - 11am at Water's Edge Center for Health and Rehabilitation, located at 111 Church St. To RSVP, call 860-347-7286. Complimentary refreshments will be served.

The Yellow Dot Program was first developed in Shelton, CT in 2002, and has spread to several other states across the US. The first hour after a serious car accident is known as the "golden hour," or the critical period of time where first responders need as much information as possible to treat accident victims. However, if victims, especially senior citizens, can't provide this information, responders have no way of knowing what kind of medicines or conditions might interfere with the first aid given at the scene. In extreme cases, the wrong medical decisions could be made, and this could have fatal consequences for the individuals involved.

For additional information, the Shelton Police Department has a website for this program with a news article and a power-point presentation.

Announcement of volunteer program to provide sustainable transportation for seniors and people with visual disabilities

From Bill Wasch, co-board chair of ITN Central Ct.

A new local non-profit has been formed that provides personalized door-to-door & arm-to-arm transportation for seniors and people with visual disabilities in Middletown, Cromwell, Durham, East Hampton, Portland, Haddam, Middlefield and Wethersfield. The organization is seeking volunteers willing to drive seniors to medical appointments, shopping, church, and personal appointments for services ranging from hair care to nail care. It has offices at the Church of the Holy Trinity at 381 Main St. Individuals interested in availing themselves of this transportation service can sign up for a small annual fee and pay through a prepaid account for a per mile charge and pick up fee and drop off fee.

All volunteer drivers are trained and screened through a computer-based data system and they have access to back up insurance over and above their own insurance. Individuals interested in becoming a member and accessing the driving service or willing to volunteer to drive should contact GW Frazier, manager, at 860-346-7433 for more details. A typical example of the service is a Middletown woman who is driven to and from her dialysis treatments three times a week.

A more extensive discussion of how this valuable service can assist both individuals and family caregivers can be seen on the regional ITN web site. Often seniors feel isolated and removed from society because of their inability to drive; this service is designed to put them back in the driver’s seat.