Home care in Killingworth

The Estuary is the senior center for a nine-town region that includes Killingworth, and the town's own page names it as the Meals on Wheels contact. On Wednesdays it serves a hot lunch at noon at the Congregational Church, 273 Route 81. Diners reserve by 11am the day before, register once, and are asked for a suggested $3 donation if they are 60 or older. Meals on Wheels brings lunch to the door Monday to Friday, one to five days a week, hot around noontime, with frozen meals for dinners and weekends. Your father, a family member, his doctor or a visiting nurse can request it, and no medical order is needed.

To get around, River Valley Transit's Dial-A-Ride serves Killingworth Monday to Friday from 6:30am to 4:30pm. You book by 4:30pm on the business day before, up to two weeks ahead, and you get a half-hour pickup window. Riders 60 and older can join its senior fare program. For a doctor's visit, the Estuary's EMOTS service picks up anyone 50 and older at home and brings them back, first come, first served, for a fee. A live-in caregiver can take the days in between: breakfast and the lunches on the other days, the ride on short notice, and someone beside him at the appointment.

Killingworth has a Municipal Agent for the Elderly who gives residents information and referrals on Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, Social Security, adult day care, housing, transportation and local senior groups. The Assessor's Office handles homeowners tax relief by appointment, after you have filed your federal return, and other requirements besides income apply. A caregiver can help your mother gather the papers for those conversations and be there while she has them.

Before a storm, the town asks residents to register at CTAlert.gov for emergency messages. Anyone without internet can use the computers at Killingworth Library, 301 Route 81, where the librarians will help. It also suggests telling someone trustworthy about any special needs beforehand, so they can check on you, and sheltering at home if possible. A caregiver can be that person, then add the daily help around it: meals, company through the afternoon and a calm evening routine.