A member of our Aging in Place in Darien Board of Advisers just sent me yet another article on the spread of aging-in-place organizations. Wow. This trend is really picking up momentum. The article from Boston.com is about "villages" (based on the Beacon Hill Village model) springing up in more Boston suburbs like Newton, Sudbury and Wellesley. The recession is making the alternative of staying in your community and home even more practical, as moving to assisted living is an expensive proposition.
This may be one of the best articles I've read so far on the topic. It offers in a sidebar of resources to tap, complete with Web sites. I've put a link below and urge you to read it.
I can't wait for Aging in Place in Darien to have its own Web site and to become an independent nonprofit. We are still a pilot program, under the wing of the Community Fund of Darien. I'm getting really impatient, but I know I have to bide my time and let the process of planning for our future work out in an orderly fashion. I just hope the naysayers who want to keep the organization small and part of some other nonprofit don't win the day. I hope we can find seniors in Darien who will want to become board members and who will want to champion a village or other independent, nonprofit AIP organization in Darien. I hope we can find the impassioned ones.
To read the Boston suburb article, click here:
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/newton/articles/2009/07/09/new_programs_help_elderly_stay_in_their_own_homes/?page=1
Showing posts with label beacon hill village. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beacon hill village. Show all posts
Beacon Hill Village Gets Expansion Grant
Beacon Hill Village, the organization in Boston that is riding the crest of the aging in place wave, has secured a replication grant from the Milbank Foundation. They did this because so many people across the country have asked for help in starting their own organizations based on the BHV model. Their press release is below.
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New Network for Village Creators
Want to start your own "Village" to help people stay in their homes for life? Beacon Hill Village is making it easier through a new website built to help grassroots organizations like theirs. Here are a link to the website and their press release:
http://www.vtvnetwork.org/
'Village' Movement Offers Aging Baby Boomers
http://www.vtvnetwork.org/
PRESS RELEASE
05/07/09
CONTACT: Charity Sack, (703) 647-2337
'Village' Movement Offers Aging Baby Boomers
Opportunity to Remain in Their Homes
BOSTON, MA (May 6, 2009) Millions of Americans wrestling with the challenge of aging with independence and remaining in their homes can now create their own “Villages” that will allow them to do just that. The Village to Village Network will be hosting the next Regional Workshop June 15th, 2009 in Denver, CO to provide critical information about this proven model and community-based approach.
The projected growth of the elderly population, which currently includes more than 37 million people age 65 or older in the U.S., highlights the need for more community-based alternatives. The recent economic downturn has impacted older Americans’ income and assets. Retirement savings losses are staggering – currently estimated at roughly $2 trillion. Many older Americans are considering more affordable alternatives to access long term services and supports with a preference to remain within their communities.
‘Villages’ are consumer-driven, non-profits that help people 50 and over stay in their own homes throughout their lives. There are currently 40 open villages and hundreds starting around the country. The Village-to-Village approach establishes membership-driven organizations run by small staffs and volunteers who coordinate affordable services including transportation, in-home medical care, home repairs and other day-to-day needs enabling individuals to receive care at home.
The workshop is designed for community leaders and professionals interested in creating and funding ‘Villages’ in their own communities. Topics to be covered are: How to start a ‘Village’, board development, marketing, strategic partners, providers, fundraising, budgets. Leaders from unique open ‘Villages’ around the country will discuss how they created their own ‘Villages’. Panelist will be leaders from: Capitol Hill Village (Washington DC), Washington Park Cares (Denver, Colorado), Front Desk Florence (Florence Oregon), and Beacon Hill Village (Boston, Massachusetts).
The Village to Village Network Regional Workshop will be June 15th, 2009 in Denver, Colorado from 9:00AM-4:00PM at the Hyatt Denver Convention Center. Registration is available at www.vtvnetwork.org.
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About Village to Village Network
The Village to Village Network (VtV) is by Villages for Villages. The VtV Network helps communities establish and manage their own “Villages.” The Network is sponsored through a joint partnership between Beacon Hill Village and NCB Capital Impact and was developed in response to requests from Villages nationwide.
About Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill Village is a membership organization in the heart of Boston. Created by a group of long-time Beacon Hill residents as an alternative to moving from their houses to retirement or assisted living communities, it was founded in 2001.
Beacon Hill Village enables a growing and diverse group of Boston residents to stay in their neighborhoods as they age, by organizing and delivering programs and services that allow them to lead safe, healthy productive lives in their own homes. For more information, visit: www.beaconhillvillage.org
About NCB Capital Impact
NCB Capital Impact, the non-profit affiliate of NCB, provides financial services and technical assistance to create more affordable cooperative homeownership, long-term supports innovations, and facilities for health care centers and charter schools. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NCB Capital Impact has offices in California and New York. To learn more about NCB Capital Impact, and its programs and initiatives in advancing education, affordable housing, health care and long-term care for low- to moderate-income individuals, visit www.ncbcapitalimpact.org or contact Charity Sack at (703) 647-2337.
How Can We Get Seniors to Accept Help?
I heard a great story the other day from the son of a woman who is 80+. He and his sister wanted their mom to have a local safety net. They finally turned to one of the Aging in Place - Beacon Hill Village type organizations. The siblings bought mom a membership.
The mom loves the membership because people with the organization help her with the small but annoying stuff of life. How to find someone to help with shopping. How to get someone to take care of her dog when she goes on vacation. Even though she says she doesn't want help and wants independence, she is slowly seeking help from her friends and from this organization. It's a long, slow build.
With aging in place, the idea of "if you build it, they will come" doesn't work immediately. It takes a long time for the comfort factor to come into play and for people to join and ask for help.
Do you have an opinion on this? Other stories?
The mom loves the membership because people with the organization help her with the small but annoying stuff of life. How to find someone to help with shopping. How to get someone to take care of her dog when she goes on vacation. Even though she says she doesn't want help and wants independence, she is slowly seeking help from her friends and from this organization. It's a long, slow build.
With aging in place, the idea of "if you build it, they will come" doesn't work immediately. It takes a long time for the comfort factor to come into play and for people to join and ask for help.
Do you have an opinion on this? Other stories?
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