Adults’ Featured Events

Estate Planning: Big Changes to Connecticut Trust Law with Attorney Erin Duques

Thursday, December 9th at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Registration required.
Trust laws in Connecticut saw massive changes in 2020. You may have heard about these changes and might be wondering how these changes affect you. The Essex Library welcomes back Attorney Erin Duques, who will give an easy-to-understand overview of the new Uniform Trust Code. You’ll learn how the changes may or may not affect your existing trust and estate plans.

And if you don’t have a trust, maybe now is the right time to finally create one. Erin will also give a general overview of trusts in Connecticut for those who may be thinking about creating a trust. You’ll walk away understanding if a trust is something you actually need.

Attorney Erin Duques is an estate planning attorney with the law firm Czeipiga Daly Pope & Perri and is based in the firm’s Madison office. Erin is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association Elder Law and Trust & Probate sections. She lives in Madison with her family and serves the Madison community on the town’s Board of Selectmen.

Zoom registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vf-ysqzktHNMUCXkdMjXKIqKo8ndveX2A

Detail, Merwin’s Lane, Fairfield [Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress, no copyright]

Bridges of The Merritt Parkway

Tuesday, December 14th at 7 p.m. on Zoom.
The Bridges of the Merritt Parkway program offers a virtual tour of the historic highway’s bridges, renowned for their distinctive and unusual architectural expressions. The tour examines their design sources and iconography, placing them within the context of bridges over time, including a behind the scenes peek at some recent restorations.

The talk is prepared by the Merritt Parkway Conservancy, a non-profit, member-supported organization working to protect, revitalize and steward Connecticut’s largest and most heavily used historic place and scenic byway since 2002. Wes Haynes, the Conservancy’s Executive Director since 2018 and your tour guide, grew up driving the Merritt. He previously held senior staff positions with the CT Trust for Historic Preservation, New York Landmarks Conservancy, Preservation League of New York State, and New Jersey Historic Trust. A Stamford native and resident, Wes taught historic preservation at the Parsons School of Design in New York, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy and the Brooklyn High School for the Arts.

Zoom Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsdeCuqjstHteUdolCDQc0T5sWHIScgOOf

Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias:  Covid-19 and The Holidays

Wednesday, December 15th at 1:30 p.m. on Zoom.
This caregiver program for family members and friends of people with dementia will provide a brief overview of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and discuss some COVID-19 challenges that can be especially difficult for families living with dementia. On Wednesday, December 15 at 1:30 p.m. Maria Tomasetti, South Central CT Regional Director of the Alzheimer’s Association Connecticut Chapter, will focus on strategies to engage in positive visits and interactions including effective communication strategies; explore tactics to discuss holiday celebrations that best suit the needs of the person diagnosed and the caregiver; provide options to minimize overstimulation during the holiday season; and address safety concerns…all within the context of our current COVID-19 world.

Zoom registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtdeCprT8uE9WRj0S22bMOcJKBsQb8_E7j

Essex Library Association 2021 Laptop Series

The Essex Library Association has added 6 new chromebooks to our collection. You can try them out this autumn during our 2021 Laptop program series, or starting January 2nd, check them out for home use. The chromebooks and laptop series are made possible by a generous grant from Guilford Savings Bank and the Community Foundation of Middlesex County.

2021 Laptop Series: Digital Downloading, 101

Saturday, January 8th, 2022 at 11 a.m. at the Essex Library
Seating is limited. Registration is required.
Are you interested in taking advantage of all the free digital materials available to you from the library but aren’t sure where to begin? In this free, hands-on, 60-minute session, you’ll learn how to access and download digital materials available 24/7, including thousands of ebooks, audiobooks, films, TV shows, magazines and more using the Essex Library’s six Chromebooks or bring your own device. These free resources can be enjoyed on your computer, Kindle, or devices such as an iPad, iPhone, or Android; all you need is your library card!

Permission To Feel: A Community Read and Discussion Series

Presented by Tri-Town Youth Services
Wednesdays, January 19th, 26th and February 2nd from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Zoom.
The discussion will be broken up into three parts so finishing the book doesn’t need to be done all at once.

About the book: As highlighted by Dr. Tara Wells in Psychology Today, “In Permission To Feel, Marc Brackett, a professor at Yale University’s Child Study Center and the founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, presents an evidence-based approach to managing our emotions. He makes a persuasive case that our feelings aren’t impediments but provide important information that can change our lives for the better – when we give ourselves permission to feel them.” The must-read book explores emotions and presents RULER skills used for recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating our emotions.

Supported by Essex Library Association; Chester Public Library; Deep River Public Library & Ivoryton Library Association.
Visit Tri-Town Youth Services website to register.

On-Going Programs

bereavement groupBereavement Support Group

First & Third Tuesdays at 4 p.m. beginning December 7th, 2021
Grieving is tough – but you don’t have to go it alone. This group is free and open to all. If you’re struggling with loss – of a spouse, a parent or other family member, or a close friend – please consider coming to a meeting; sometimes just having a place to share our feelings makes them easier to bear. No advance registration is necessary. Rev. Joy Perkett, Pastor at First Baptist Church in Essex will facilitate the group. Rev. Perkett received a Master of Social Work and a Master of Divinity from Boston University.

If you are interested in attending this group but can’t get to a meeting at 4 p.m., please email Ann Thompson at athompson@essexlib.org.

Alzheimer Caregiver’s Support Group

2nd Tuesday every month at 5 p.m.
Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease can be challenging. To help people who care for those with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, the Alzheimer’s Association Connecticut Chapter facilitates about 90 support groups around the state. The Essex Library is honored to collaborate with AACC in hosting a monthly caregivers support group which offers caregivers a place to share, learn and feel welcomed. People talk about their experiences and offer suggestions to deal with topics including medical, legal, behavioral and financial problems. The trained group facilitator is there to listen, help guide the conversation and to provide information about resources in the community. This support group is FREE and open to the public.

24/7 Helpline: (800) 272-3900
ehelpline@alz.org

Score LogoSCORE At The Library

Thursdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the library. Masks required.
The Southeastern Connecticut chapter of SCORE provides free and confidential advice on starting and growing small businesses. Appointments must be scheduled in advance, either by calling 860-388-9508 or downloading a request form. SCORE is also offering information and assistance with the Paycheck Protection Program and SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.

 

Instructions for Using Zoom

You do not need to have a Zoom account to join the Library’s Zoom meetings. To connect with video, you will need to be connected to the Internet, either from a computer, iPad or cell phone. A link for each meeting will be provided in the monthly newsletters and on the Library’s website. All library programs and meetings offered on Zoom are moderated by library staff and are recorded; the library does not offer Zoom recordings to the public.The Library records all programs and reports all Zoombombing, attempted Zoombombing, and/or misuse of our public programming platform to federal and local law enforcement.

For more detailed instructions see: Instructions on Using Zoom, a free video-conferencing software.

To Connect with a Computer:

To Join a Zoom Meeting from your computer, click the links provided for each meeting, OR

  1. Go to https://zoom.us
  2. Click on ‘Join A Meeting’ located in the upper right area of the screen
  3. Type the meeting number in the window then click ‘JOIN’
  4. A ‘Launch Application’ window will appear
  5. Click ‘Open link’

If you have trouble getting the Zoom meeting to open, please be sure to use the Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer browser. To download Google Chrome to your device, see instructions here: https://www.google.com/chrome/

To Connect with an iPad or iPhone:

  1. Download the Zoom app from the App Store, located here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zoom-cloud-meetings/id546505307
  2. Click the link provided for the meeting

To Connect with an Android device:

  1. Download the Zoom app for Android, located here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=us.zoom.videomeetings&hl=en_US
  2. Click the link provided for the meeting

To Connect with a land line phone:

If you’re joining the meeting by phone, call this number: 1 (646) 558-8656. Once you’re connected, then dial the meeting ID number to join the meeting.