By Annali Hayward
Beloved community institution Waveny Lifecare Network celebrated 50 years of dedicated service on Tuesday, 9 April at their state-of-the-art New Canaan facility.
Senior staff and board members gathered together with local supporters as well as political dignitaries Tuesday
morning, to reflect on the non-profit’s half-century of progress in the world of senior care.
State Senator Ceci Maher, who called the facility the “gold standard for care in Fairfield County,” read one proclamation on behalf of Governor Ned Lamont in recognition of the milestone, to “officially convey honor and recognition upon Waveny Life Care Network,” and another from Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz for “50 years of being a pillar of the community,” while State Representative Lucy Dathan read an homage to the compassion and dignity shown to patients.
In the five decades since its inception — as an answer to the ever-expanding conundrum of community-based care for seniors — the Network has grown to comprise a “continuum of care,” with multiple in-house living options, a full range of respite, therapeutic and nursing services, as well as at-home and 
virtual offerings.
Today, the group serves over 1,000 patients in-house and at-home across Fairfield and Westchester counties, and according to senior staff, there are no plans to slow the pace of innovation. Whether it is expanding their telemedicine offering, exploring how AI can help integrate medical records and enhance treatment, or launching new programs to help families along their journeys with Alzheimers’, the Network is clearly not content to rest on its laurels.
Indeed, President and CEO Russel Barksdale was happy to confirm during his remarks Tuesday that the non-profit is “actively exploring alternatives” for more senior housing, partly in response to the “daily” requests he receives for more options, as the 16 percent of New Canaanites who are seniors continues to grow.
As populations age, the shortage of qualified staff remains a major challenge for the healthcare industry, but it is arguably where
Waveny has shown its greatest innovation: by training over 120 students to date in-house as certified nursing assistants — and not only are students guaranteed a job after passing their exams, but they are compensated from day one. It’s a unique program, initially funded by a generous donor — a neat echo of the origins of the Farm Road site itself, which was gifted to the Town in 1969 for the express purpose of healthcare services from a portion of Mrs. Ruth Lapham Lloyd’s Waveny Park estate.
Board chairman K. Rone Baldwin highlighted this very “synergy” between “engaged neighbors, dedicated town officials and generous donors coupled with experienced, high quality, dedicated professionals” as forming the “bedrock” of Waveny, making it a “distinguished leader in our industry.”
It’s no mean feat for a non-profit, said Terry Henry, chief sales, marketing and advertising officer, detailing several awards the Network has received in recent years for innovation and social accountability.
“Waveny is punching above its weight class, if you will, but we can’t do that alone,” Henry said, thanking supporters for “keeping us in your mind and in your hearts.”
It was all heart later on Tuesday, as the festivities continued on Main Street, the charming indoor “village” forresidents, where according to Heather Wootton, marketing manager, 172 employees received awards for their length of service, ranging from Beverly James-Allen, RN who has reached 43 years, to an impressive 144 employees spanning five to 35 years.
