MGI is a non-profit organization with a mission to make a significant difference in improving the lives of the elderly and to make our region a center of excellence for elder well-being through specialized health care and education.
Dear Friends of MGI,
I’ve always thought our name was a bit presumptuous, conjuring images of a large structure not unlike the Lincoln Memorial. I think, when our founders conceived of our future they felt there was a certain manifest destiny: geriatric training programs for physicians, geriatric research on a university level, conferences in classrooms, all inside a building to be erected on the Perkins Farm site, a geriatric mecca that would make Mystic a center of geriatric excellence. The reality however is that we have become a group of dedicated individuals motivated to improve the health and well-being of elders in our extended community. We have focused on the fundamental concept of caregiving, and have devoted our modest resources to the project of educating family caregivers. So with this more realistic vision, we all felt a name change was needed, and the name we have selected is: MGI/senior strong communities. New names are always hard to swallow, but this one is much closer to what we actually do.
Next issue is COVID. Is it gone? Not by a long shot, but we have learned to live with it and know that the consequences of acquiring it are far different in the age of vaccines and good medications. As recently as May we were forced to cancel a caregiver conference due to an uptick in the Omicron variant. Now we are preparing to do the same program at the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center on November 5th. Vaccinations and masks will be optional. We will begin publicizing it in the near future.
Our Intergenerational Poetry Project is underway. This year we will add Fitch High School to Stonington and East Lyme as sources of young poets. We are looking for six elders to work with our six high school students. If you know elders who might participate please refer them to me.
Lastly, please look forward to our updated website, more user-friendly, and with a lot more good information for senior citizens and their families.
All best for a beautiful fall season.
Christopher Morren, MD
President
Create an organization in our region to foster the development and communication of effective geriatric care.
Coordinate responses to elder issues, broadcasting effective strategies to invested audiences though workshops, conferencing and symposia.
Educate and collaborate with communities to establish infrastructure and services that promote elder well-being.
CHRIS MORREN, M.D.
President
Board Certified Geriatrician
MICHAEL FELTES, M.D.
Vice President
Board Certified Geriatrician
Mystic Geriatrics, LLC.
ROBIN ELY, R.N., D.N.P.
Secretary
Mind Matters, LLC
SANDRA A. SHARR, ESQ.
Treasurer
State of Connecticut (Retired)
ROBERT LOWELL, Ph.D.
U.S. Navy (Retired) and Engineer
CURTIS LYNCH
Business Consultant
REP. KATE ROTELLA
State Representative, 43rd District
REV. MARK A. SANTUCCI
Episcopal Priest (Retired)