Lilly Darcy gets her groceries delivered by volunteers from Boulder County CareConnect’s Carryout Caravan and gets regular visits from aides who clean and help her with tasks such as washing her hair.
“I don’t get around very well,” said the 87-year-old, who has lived in her Louisville apartment more than 10 years. “I use a walker. I don’t have good balance without it.” Darcy’s daughter, Linda, lives nearby, and friends in the building check on her regularly.
The way Darcy lives – independently, but with some help – is a good example of how many seniors may be be able to live in Boulder County in the next decades with a wave of people growing older and aging in place. Currently, about 14 percent of Boulder County’s residents are 65 or older. By 2050, the percentage will grow to roughly 23 percent, close to a quarter of the population.
Chrysti Britt, Interim Executive Director of CareConnect, said the agency’s services include grocery delivery, taking seniors to medical appointments, yard work and snow shoveling. A fix-it program provides home repairs, puts grab bars in the shower and even programs smart phones or TV remotes.
“We exist to keep adults age 60-plus in their homes with nocost services, which might otherwise require them to move out,” she said. Linda visits her mother weekly or more frequently to help out, but the other services Darcy receives mean the visits are not all about chores.
“It’s keeping the burden down so that when they do come over, they’re filling in the cracks,” Darcy said, of her family. That means more enjoyable time together.
Recently, they went on an outing to the mountains for a picnic. “The Rockies put on a show,” Darcy said. “When we came down the hill, I sang a Scottish song (to my daughter). ‘These Are Our Mountains.’”
by Cindy Sutter
