History

In the mid-1970’s community advocates for the elderly began to explore the idea of opening an adult day care center in Norwalk. Persuaded by the belief that older frail adults were being prematurely placed in institutional care, their hope was to provide an alternative that allowed older adults to remain living in the community.

Located on the ground floor of King’s Way Apartments in Norwalk, ElderHouse opened its doors in March of 1977. The first goal was to create an atmosphere of warmth and caring and the second, to service ten clients a day by the end of six months. Both goals were immediately achieved and a total of 31 referrals were received by the end of the first month.

In 1984, the Board of Directors recognized ElderHouse’s need for a permanent home where it could continue to grow and expand its services. Following a capital fund campaign, construction began in September 1986. Nine months later, ElderHouse moved to its present location at 7 Lewis Street, just off the Norwalk Green.

Over the next 25 years, ElderHouse served thousands of families in the Greater Norwalk area. The demand for services continued to grow, culminating in 2009 with 10,500 unit days of service. To meet the future needs of Norwalk and the surrounding communities, the board developed a plan to renovate, remodel and expand services at 7 Lewis Street.

In January 2012, ElderHouse reopened as a state of-the-art full service medical model adult day center. The expanded space enhanced the opportunity to offer a wide range on interesting programs and social activities in a person centered care model. Today ElderHouse is recognized across Connecticut and ranks among the top rated centers in the country.

A History of Achievements

  • 1977 – First Adult Day Center in Fairfield County
  • 1986 – Featured on The Today Show
  • 1988 – Certificate of National Merit for Project Innovation
  • 1998 through 2025 – Certification with Excellence Connecticut Association of Adult Day Services
  • 2006 – Representation on Governor Jodi Rell’s Long-term Care Advisory Team
  • 2009 – Small Business Non-Profit Award Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce
  • 2016 – Appointed to Connecticut’s Legislative Commission on Aging
  • 2017 – SilverSource Contribution to Community Award