Sam Smith – Spent the first part of a recent morning with two officials of our local community services program hearing about urban villages from one of a founder and strong advocate. It was an extraordinary morning, to be with three people who have done so much good for their communities and are still looking for something more. Here, from a national village organization, is what we were talking about:
Neighbors
Caring for Neighbors
Villages are consumer-driven, grassroots community-based organizations.
Villages are formed through a cadre of caring neighbors who want to change the
paradigm of aging. Through their efforts, local Villages become the foundation
for connecting members to a full range of support services to help with
non-medical household tasks, services, programs and transportation. Villages
promote staying active by coordinating recreational, social, educational and
cultural programs. These social activities minimize isolation and promotes
interaction amongst their peers.
Why villages are needed
Villages are well positioned to improve the population health of the
communities they serve. In Britain and the United States, roughly one in three
people older than 65 live alone, and in the United States, half of those older
than 85 live alone. Studies in both countries show the prevalence of loneliness
among people older than 60 ranging from 10% to 46%.
The Village Movement originated in Boston with Beacon Hill Village leading the
way for a more economically efficient model for aging. A 2010 survey by AARP
found that nearly 90% of older adults in America want to stay in their homes
and communities as they age. The Village model helps seniors to age in a place
of their choosing, connected to their communities with the supports and tools
they need to create successful aging of their own design.
Village characteristics
· Reflect the needs of their members and communities and share many common characteristics
· Provide a strong community that offers members new opportunities to age successfully
· Nonprofit, grassroots initiatives
· Membership-based, member-driven and self-governing
· Designed to be inclusive and to reflect their communities
· Community partners helping to address the challenges of aging
· Coordinate access to affordable services, local resources and service providers
· Positively impact isolation, interdependence, health and purpose of their members
· Provide volunteer services including transportation, health and wellness programs and social and educational activities
To find out more, this site of a DC village provides some useful information.
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