Photographs by William Taufic.
In 2005, an abdominal surgery left Greenwich resident Marylin Chou weak and housebound. A widow with no children, Marylin says, “I felt uncomfortable asking friends to take me to the doctor and bring me medication. I couldn’t even make my bed. I also couldn’t cope with decisions about getting a health aide and having a stranger in the house. I knew I might need surgery again in ten years. I would be older and my friends would be, too. It would be much more of an imposition. I didn’t want to move to a senior facility and give up my independence.”
Marylin’s situation sparked an idea: a service that helps seniors who need support. “I learned about Beacon Hill Village in Boston. It was formed by two old friends who were worried about their husbands getting up on their roofs to remove leaves in the fall,” explains Marylin. “They came up with the idea of having people who come in and do those services for seniors.”
At Home in Greenwich goes beyond a list of recommended and reliable electricians, plumbers, roofers, carpenters, drivers, mechanics, computer assistants and organizers. Members also enjoy social and cultural offerings, potlucks, theater, opera, concerts, museum visits, poetry readings, a book club, health and wellness seminars…. “Another unique and essential service we provide,” adds Marylin, “is a volunteer who will go along with you and take notes when you have a serious consultation with a doctor and are concerned you won’t remember all of the questions.
“We also have a licensed social worker who can go into your home and check to see if it has the necessary safety rails, and help arrange things so it’s more convenient. She can set up the house for a patient coming out of the hospital for rehabilitation,” explains Marylin. “If children are living in another part of the country and don’t know what to do with their parents who aren’t well, she can make recommendations and mediate if necessary.”
Some of the 162 members of the organization are newcomers to Greenwich who have moved here to be closer to their children. For them and locals whose friends have died or moved away, the social aspect of At Home in Greenwich can be a godsend. “I get great satisfaction in seeing the friendships that have developed,” says Marylin, “members traveling together to Thailand, or spending Thanksgiving together. It’s a community within a community. This is so helpful for people who are not able to drive and are feeling isolated.”
Membership is open to anyone fifty and over and dues are $500 per person or $650 per household annually. “Revenue covers half the costs of running the operation,” says Marylin. Running At Home in Greenwich is comparable to a full-time job, which is not new to her. The widow of IBM scientist Ned Chou, Marylin had a career in food consulting, wrote two books and had her research on aging presented at the White House in 1981. Somehow this busy senior continues to fit in daily swims, sailing trips, travel to such far-flung locales as Istanbul, and volunteering for the Mei Hua Society in New York.
A Wellesley graduate, Marylin’s goal out of college was “to make the world a better place.” Mary Coan, a friend and colleague, says, “Members of AHIG are happier and safer at home thanks to Marylin’s vision and zeal, and they are hugely grateful to her.” Mission accomplished.