July 17, 2018: Seniors everywhere are facing an epidemic of loneliness. Orchard House Medical Adult Day Center and the Community Dining Room of Branford are on a mission to battle that isolation by joining forces. The partnership program, Feeding the Need to be Needed, was made possible by a generous grant from the Branford Community Foundation.

Beginning August 3, some Orchard House members, primarily aging adults living with memory loss, will be delivering meals and companionship to some of the homebound clients the Community Dining Room already serves. The Community Dining Room's Home Delivery program also feeds people in the community suffering from illness or recovering from surgery with friendly visiting as an important secondary component to help with isolation or loneliness.

"Loneliness is the silent killer," said Stephanie Evans-Ariker, Executive Director of Orchard House. "And so many older adults living alone are at risk of social isolation that increases their risk of illness and possibly premature death. "

Feeding the Need to be Needed has dual objectives. The first is to provide peer to peer visits, conversation and companionship to those older clients of the Community Dining Room who are homebound and isolated. The second is to provide Orchard House members with a sense of independence and increased confidence by having made a difference in someone's day.

According to DataHaven, 29 percent of Branford's 5,767 adults age 65 and over live alone and often have noone to talk to (source: US Census Bureau Community Survey).

"Since a primary part of Orchard House's mission is to provide friendship and social enrichment for older adults we wanted to share that with other deserving adults in the community," said Evans-Ariker. "Creating meaningful connections between aging adults who easily become starved for company is the key purpose of this program, and we are very grateful for the Branford Community Foundation's support."

Orchard House Medical Adult Day Center serves aging adults in the community with compassionate care and social enrichment programs that encourage independence and foster friendships. The mission at Orchard House is to provide the highest level of community based, person centered care, social programs and family support to those in need. Founded in 1981, Orchard House serves older adults with Alzheimer's disease or other cognitive impairments, physical disabilities, or chronic illness.

For more information, contact Stephanie Evans-Ariker (203) 481-7110.