Local conditions
| Average annual wage | $43,567 |
|---|---|
| Median age | 48.7 |
| Median household income | $81,667 |
| Total employment | 4,053 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.2% |
| Probate court | Grand Isle Probate Division, 3677 US Rt. 2 in North Hero |
| Average hospital distance | 11 miles |
| Towns near a hospital | 0% |
How Grand Isle compares next door
Grand Isle County has zero state-licensed senior-living settings recorded anywhere in the county, a real absence rather than a data gap, and zero of its 5 towns fall within a 15-minute drive of the nearest hospital despite the county's short physical distances, 8 to 15 miles — a reminder that island geography, bridges and causeway roads can add real time that straight-line miles don't show. The county's median age, 48.7 in 2020, is also older than neighboring Franklin County's 40.5, per the same state data source.
Senior care in Grand Isle County
Isle La Motte, the smallest and southernmost of the five towns, is reached by its own separate bridge off North Hero.
North Hero, the county seat, sits roughly in the middle of the island chain, which means both South Hero and Alburgh residents can be a genuine drive away rather than a quick trip.
The Lake Champlain Islands bridge at the north end of North Hero connects to Alburgh, while the causeway at the south end of South Hero, sometimes called the Sand Bar, connects to the Chittenden County mainland.
Grand Isle, the town, sits between South Hero and North Hero on the same island as South Hero, so despite sharing the county's name it is not the northernmost or largest of the five towns.
VT 314 branches off US 2 on Grand Isle to reach the ferry landing at Gordon Landing, a separate crossing to Cumberland Head, New York.
Community searches may include Chittenden and Franklin counties as well as local options.
Help on the Islands: CIDER and Age Well
Grand Isle County has no licensed long-term-care setting of its own, so the local safety net for older residents is a small nonprofit, Champlain Islanders Developing Essential Resources, known as CIDER It describes a special responsibility to elders and people with disabilities and provides senior meals, health and wellness activities, home safety and accessibility projects, adaptive equipment and transportation.
Age Well is the area agency for the county and can be reached through the Helpline at 1-800-642-5119.
The Neighbors meal site serves lunch every Wednesday all year at Reader Hall in the Congregational Church of South Hero, 24 South Street.
Hot and frozen lunches can also be delivered by CIDER volunteers to seniors and people with disabilities who have difficulty getting and cooking meals at home; the number to arrange delivery is 802-372-6425.
Age Well's community meals require every person aged 60 or over to register once a year because the programme is partly funded under the Older Americans Act.
Rides on and off the Islands
CIDER contracts with the regional public transit programme to provide door-to-door rides for Grand Isle County residents aged 60 and over and people with disabilities.
Rides are scheduled by calling at least 48 hours ahead for weekday hours, 8 am to 5 pm, though it tries to accommodate early morning, evening and weekend requests, and it recruits volunteer drivers with mileage reimbursement.
In the regional planning commission's description, Green Mountain Transit serves Franklin County and CIDER serves Grand Isle County, and Rural Community Transportation is taking over the rural services in both counties.
For a family, the practical issue is that appointments are on the mainland: the nearest hospitals are in Burlington and St.
Albans, so a person who cannot drive relies on a volunteer ride booked two days ahead for anything except an emergency.
Home health, hospice and local clinics
The University of Vermont Health Network Home Health and Hospice, the former Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties, provides home health and hospice care to residents of Chittenden and Grand Isle counties from Colchester; its number is 802-658-1900.
The Champlain Islands Health Center in South Hero is open about 42 hours a week; for anything urgent a hospital emergency department is the route.
A household on the Islands considering residential care will look off the Islands: the state lists no licensed setting in the county, and the nearest are in Colchester and St.
Albans.