Community Buzz: Waveny hosts dementia support group; Halstead agents named to Best Real Estate list

Waveny LifeCare Network is hosting a public support group for people coping with the impacts of caring for a loved one with dementia. Held on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month in Waveny Care Center’s Coleman Library at 3 Farm Road, New Canaan, Waveny’s group is sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association Connecticut Chapter.

Upcoming summer and autumn meeting dates for group meetings are July 24, Aug. 14 and 28, Sept. 11 and 25, Oct. 9 and 23, and Nov. 13 and 27. Meetings begin at 1:45 p.m. and last for approximately one hour. The meetings are led by Waveny social worker Kate Bacon and resident care coordinator Carolyn Antonion.

The group focuses on the responsibility of caring for people with dementias including Alzheimer’s disease, and welcomes individuals from all areas to attend, free of charge.

In addition to providing caregivers with a forum to discuss personal experiences, Waveny’s support group provides participants with an important social outlet.

For information about Waveny’s caregiver support group, contact Bacon at 203-594-5470 or kbacon@waveny.org, or Antonion at cantonion@waveny.org or 203.594.5429, or inquire though Waveny’s website at waveny.org.

Halstead, a leading residential real estate brokerage firm in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, announced 45 of its agents were named to the 2018 REAL Trends America’s Best Real Estate Professionals list, an awards ranking produced by REAL Trends and sponsored by Adwerx.

The list ranks the most productive agents by state based on closed transaction sides and closed sales volume.

Mary Higgins, of the Elm Street office in New Canaan, was one of the eight agents from Connecticut named to the list.

Operation Fuel’s statewide network of fuel banks is accepting energy assistance applications from Connecticut households. Families and individuals in danger of having their utility services terminated due to financial hardship should call 211 to see if they are eligible for energy assistance.

There are currently more than 320,000 low- and moderate-income households statewide that cannot afford their energy bills. During 2017, more than 52,000 households had their electricity disconnected because of non-payment, according to the state of Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.

Brenda Watson, Operation Fuel’s Executive Director, said she is very concerned about how people will survive a heat wave if their electricity is shut off. “An energy grant from Operation Fuel can be lifesaving. The home energy affordability crisis is a health and safety issue for over 300,000 Connecticut households. Just a small donation to Operation Fuel can help a local family or individual remain in their home,” Watson said.

For this past fiscal year, which ended June 30, Operation Fuel helped 7,232 households with more than $3.1 million in energy assistance.

Operation Fuel is a statewide nonprofit organization that provides emergency energy assistance year-round to lower-income working families and individuals, the elderly, and disabled individuals who are in financial crisis.

For information on Operation Fuel or to make a donation, go to www.operationfuel.org. Donations also can be sent to Operation Fuel, 75 Charter Oak Ave., Suite 2-240, Hartford, CT. 06106.

The following New Canaan residents were named to the spring 2018 semester dean’s list at the University of Wisconsin-Madison: Haley Anderson, Matthew Berger, Isabel Marshall and Alexa Vogel.