Tri-Town 55+ Coalition: Making Communities Shine for Seniors

By Rachel Barry

Every single day ten thousand Americans turn 65. The Baby Boomers are aging and retiring—and now is the time communities all over the world need to prepare for a seismic demographic shift that’s well on its way.

Here in Madison and the Chathams, we’re lucky to have a dedicated organization working to address the quality of life and diverse needs and interests of older adults and their families. Tri-Town 55+ is a non-profit, community-based organization that partners with representatives of business, non-profit, and public agencies to address the quality of life and diverse needs and interests of older adults and their families in the communities of Chatham Borough, Chatham Township and Madison Borough.

The Tri-Town 55+ Coalition celebrated it's first anniversary in May 2018

Photo by Tom Salvas

John Crouthamel, president of the Tri-Town 55+ Coalition and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Senior Services Center of the Chathams, is a passionate advocate for the group’s mission. “A recent study found that New Jersey is the most moved-out-of state in the nation. Many older people in our communities don’t want to move, but they can’t afford to stay here. Part of our work is to help make it viable for them to stay by addressing their needs.”

Vice President of the Tri-Town 55+ Coalition and Madison Councilman John Hoover, agrees: “We’re looking at life-long living for seniors—and that needs to be an integrated effort. There are many groups providing services to seniors, like our senior centers in Madison and Chatham that offer many activities, trips and educational programming. We are working to coordinate those services and make them all easier to find and use.”

Tri-Town 55+ Coalition members Laura Sostak, Executive Director, Karen O'Keefe, Coalition Volunteer; John Hoover; Vice President; Thomas Honohan; John Crouthamel, President.

Photo by Erin Bauers

The Tri-Town 55+ Coalition started in January 2016 with the help of a grant from the Grotta Fund for Senior Care. From January to July 2016, the Coalition, with the help of Montclair State University, conducted an extensive needs assessment survey in Chatham Borough, Chatham Township and Madison. The Coalition is now working to create sustainable projects to address the top priority areas of need: accessible transportation, increased communication and information sharing for senior resources and events and collaborating with existing organizations in the community to support the Tri-Town 55+ mission of building lifelong communities.

Madison Mayor Robert Conley talks to a group of seniors celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Tri-Town 55+ Coalition

Photo by Tom Salvas

One of the group’s biggest success stories is the Rides for Seniors program. Since launching in the spring of 2017, the program has provided over4000 subsidized rides for residents 65 and older living in Madison, Chatham Borough, and Chatham Township. More than 320 registered seniors have taken advantage of the on-demand car service to run errands, get to doctor’s appointments, go shopping or visit loved ones. The Tri-Town 55+ Coalition started the program in partnership with GoGoGrandparent, a national company based in California which accesses Uber and Lyft using an 800 number without a cell phone.

That’s right—older adults can bypass the apps and handle ride requests with a simple call from their home phone. This simple switch takes any potential confusion out of the equation, especially for those who aren’t technically inclined.

And while GoGoGrandparent is available nationwide, the Rides for Seniors program is the only one of its kind to offer a subsidy. Eligible riders receive $5 off each ride up to four rides per month. The subsidy is made possible through grant funding and sponsorship support, including a grant from the Grotta Fund for Senior Care.

Chatham resident Ruth Mirrer appreciates the ease of the service: “I am a very grateful senior who has used this wonderful service that enables me to live safely and independently in my home. The Tri-Town Coalition has transformed transportation for the Seniors in our community. Using Go Go Grandparent has helped to eliminate the stress for aging Seniors living in the suburbs, dealing with diminishing eyesight and depending on others for their transportation.”

Chatham resident Ruth Mirrer is a satisfied customer of the Rides for Seniors program

Photo by Tom Salvas

And it’s not only local seniors who are applauding the service— the group has received the 2018 Sustainable New Jersey’s Collaboration Award and has received proclamations from the Madison Borough Council and Chatham Borough Council..

The Rides for Seniors programs is just one of the programs this group of dedicated volunteers has tackled. You may have also noticed the bright blue Tri-Town 55+ logo stickers in the windows and doors of business across the area. These were part of a joint effort with the Madison-Area Chamber of Commerce to identify age-friendly businesses. Chamber president Karen Giambra says, “By focusing on key components such as physical environment, staffing, marketing,

Keeping seniors engaged in downtown life is part of the Tri-Town 55+ Coalition's mission

Photo by Matthew Barry

and customer experience, businesses are not only catering to this growing population but to the entire community. It’s a winwin for everyone involved.”

Other big initiatives include a thoughtful review of each town’s Master Plan with an eye toward the needs of the senior population. They also continue to share and learn with other communities. “Montclair and South Orange-Maplewood have strong programs in place. We continue to learn from neighboring groups, nationwide groups, and worldwide initiatives, like the United Nations work on aging,” adds Hoover.

Of course, all this great work requires volunteers and sustainable funding. “We’d love to increase our circle of volunteers. We’re looking for people with many talents—from grant writers to anyone interested in the work we’re doing. This is a huge undertaking but it’s vitally important. We have big plans and we need the community’s help to make them a reality,” says Laura Sostak, the Executive Director of Tri-Town 55+. “We’d love to get some of the younger seniors helping the older seniors,” adds Karen O’Keeffe, a volunteer. “There’s that stage in life where the kids have left for college, and it’s suddenly isolating— no more school events, PTO meetings, and sporting events to attend. With Tri- Town 55+ you can seamlessly continue your community engagement,” adds O’Keeffe.

To volunteer or learn more about Tri-Town 55+, visit their website: www.tritown55plus.org.

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We would like to thank Salerno Duane Inc. in Summit for bringing you this month’s cover story.