Page 20 - Delaware Medical Journal - September/October 2018

Aging in Place: A Community Solution
Donald Challenger
John Truglio was on duty at Ladder 24 Station on Manhattan’s 31st Street on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. One of the initial responders at the scene of the World Trade Center attacks, he has been plagued for years by health problems caused by working in the toxic rubble. After his wife, Mary, died a year ago, his limited mobility and partial blindness meant he needed to reach out for help.
Marjorie Latsko spent a career in human services work, including her own personal management business for the elderly,
dependent, and disabled. Today, with macular degeneration and after a series of hip surgeries, she requires assistance.
Stephanie Allman enjoys walking to many places near her home in Lewes — the library, Osher Lifelong Learning classes, her volunteer work — but she has had trouble getting to more distant doctors’ appointments without help “because the public transportation system is not good.”
John, Marjorie, and Stephanie have two things in common. They are members of the Greater Lewes Community Village (GLCV). And they live independent lives in their own homes.1
In Eastern Sussex County, the adage
goes, “aging in place” is what one does
tributaries between Memorial Day and Labor Day. But, of course, there is also a very different kind of “aging in place” — one that poses an ensemble of problems even more complex than summer gridlock. That is the desire of seniors to remain in their homes, living as independently as possible for as long as possible. As Delaware’s population ages — and particularly as Sussex County’s appeal to retirees continues to grow — aging in place near the beach
has created a growing set of challenges for health care providers, families, government,
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Del Med J | September/October 2018 | Vol. 90 | No. 7