It’s been a long wait for fans of Shoreline Eldercare Alliance (SEA)’s signature event, but SEA president Steve Cudgma says shoreline seniors, and those who care for them, will be thrilled when SEA welcomes them back to enjoy its Celebration of Healthy Aging on Wednesday, May 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Woodwinds in Branford.

“It’s a day to celebrate seniors,” says Steve. “It’s just a really fun event, and it’s great because we’re coming out of COVID, and we want to celebrate that.”

Non-profit SEA, now celebrating its 10th year, had to postpone this annual celebratory event for the past two years due to the pandemic.

Tickets are $10 for a day filled with information, entertainment, food, and fun. Start the morning with a visit to SEA’s tented, outdoor Wellness Patio, packed with senior-centric professional offerings (and take away goodie-bag items). Guests can enjoy appetizers on the way to the day’s luncheon featuring a meal, dessert, speakers, and entertainers.

The event’s keynote speech, “Every Patient Has a Story,” will be given by Yale School of Medicine internist and award-winning New York Times columnist Dr. Lisa Sanders; the talk is also the title of her new book. Connecticut humorist Joyce Saltman, a returning SEA favorite, will share some memorable senior stories. Live entertainment with the big band sound of The Survivors—featuring an inspirational, 101-year-old clarinetist—and a performance from Guilford’s Senior Tappers are also on the bill.

Coming Out of the Pandemic

The impacts of the pandemic were especially difficult for many seniors. In addition to being one of the hardest-hit groups during COVID, many were cloistered and alone during the shut-down period.

“A lot of them were shut in their homes by themselves, and there are still some people that are afraid to go out,” Steve notes.

It’s also important to note that SEA has taken many precautions and made special preparations for those attending the in-person event May 25.

“We’re trying to make it as safe as possible,” says Steve.

Everyone attending SEA’s Celebration of Healthy Aging is required to be vaccinated and boosted; masks will be available as well for those who would like to wear them. Social distancing will also be practiced.

In the past, SEA would split the Woodwind’s large dining room in two, with the Wellness Room in one half and the other half set up for the dining program.

That added up to “200 people squeezed in the half dining room,” says Steve. “This year, we actually rented tents to make the Wellness Patio outside, which is why we’re charging for tickets, to help pay for the tents. And we have the whole dining room for the luncheon, so we can space it out and make it a safer environment for people. So we’ve taken a lot into consideration to make it a safe event.”

The Wellness Patio will feature numerous exhibitors representing a variety of different types of services that seniors might be able to use, from hearing aids to Medicare, assisted living, financial advice.

“It’s a variety of people that really focus on seniors,” says Steve who also encourages “the sandwich generation”—children of seniors—to attend and gather information from the day.

“The sandwich generation, the people that are helping their parents, they’re the ones that are going to be helping to make a lot of those decisions,” he says.

Steve’s certain guests of all ages will take away some important points from Sanders’s talk, which will share the value (and medical-mystery-solving power) of listening to a person’s story and the information that comes from those closest to the patient. He’s also sure guests will enjoy another visit from Saltman, who has become an annual favorite for sharing her adept humor that’s customized to shine a comedic light on senior life.

SEA has also set up valet parking, allowing seniors to be dropped off from their vehicles directly at the door.

Serving Others through SEA

Steve joined SEA in 2014 and is currently serving his fourth year as president.

A Branford resident, has also given back to his community in many ways, including his volunteer work with area church youth missions. Two years ago, he started up his own charity, Shoreline Youth Missions (SYM), open to high school and above young adults of all faiths and backgrounds.

“Anybody that’s willing to help out somewhere, we’ll take them,” says Steve, who invites interested parties to contact him.

While the SYM board couldn’t implement active programming for members during the pandemic, things are now gearing up for service here and beyond. The first SYM mission trip is being planned for summer 2023.

Steve credits the tireless effort of SEA founder Bernadette “Bernie” DiGiulian with fostering SEA’s success as a collaborative group of local professionals who all share in the mission of providing information, assistance, and resources to help area seniors and their children who care for them.

“Bernie has set up a great program that was really ahead of its time. It really is providing what people need,” says Steve. “And if we don’t know someone within the organization who can help, we can recommend different people for [requested] services. Our website has a whole page of community resources and they can also access most of our online events there too.”

SEA’s website can be accessed at sea-ct.org.

During COVID, SEA pivoted to move regular seasonal offerings of informational, in-person presentations to online programs attended via Zoom.

“We run programs based on what we think people are looking for,” says Steve of SEA’s informative series. “With COVID, we doubled it up, and did Zoom presentations twice a month. We had a variety of topics interesting to seniors, so people can know where to go to find the help they need, when they get to a point when they need help.”

In addition to providing information on topics ranging from cancer, heart health, diabetes, CBD, and estate planning, Steve always offers to provide his Medicare presentation. As the principal of Shoreline Insurance Services in Branford, Steve helps demystify Medicare for seniors, from helping them enroll to finding the best plan among some 35 out there (as well another option for Medicare supplements, which has 15 different offerings) to culling through 34 different prescription drug plans.

“Most times when people call me, it’s because they’ve been on the websites and they’re too confused to understand it. And they should be—it’s very confusing, and there’s a lot of different options,” says Steve.

He can be contacted at steven.cudgma@shorelineinsurancect.com for an appointment.

“I review what their health issues are, what their medications are and make sure that they’re in the right plan that’s going to cover everything the best for them,” he says.

His busiest time of year is the October to December Medicare open enrollment period.

“I’ll sometimes run more than 20 appointments in one day,” says Steve, who doesn’t charge for his services. “If I place you with someone, the carrier pays me. That’s the best part of my job—when someone says, ‘What do I owe you?’ and I can say, ‘You don’t owe me anything.’ It makes my day.”

SEA’s Celebration of Healthy Aging is Wednesday, May 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Woodwinds of Branford, 29 School Ground Road. Tickets, $10, are available in advance at sea-ct.org via QR code; from the following Branford locations: Shoreline Insurance Services, Down Towne Medical Equipment, Artis Senior Living; or by calling 800-426-5086. Ticket holders will be notified if unforeseen COVID-related issues create a postponement to the event.