Would your aging parent prefer to live in his/her home or move to a retirement community like Shady Pines?
It’s okay – you don’t have to answer that because I’m pretty sure I know what you’re going to say. But what if your father is a substitute teacher like Dorothy Zbornak was? Or maybe your mother (re)entered the workforce after 60 to supplement a pension that wasn’t all it was cracked up to be like Rose Nylund?
In other words, is it possible for your aging parent to age in place if he/she isn’t wealthy?
There are no one-size-fits-all solutions in the elder care maze, so the only honest answer here is maybe. But with a little help from a village, “maybe” can turn into YES.
How Dorothy, Blanche and Rose might have continued to age in place even if their children never moved to Miami
If former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton gets the credit for pointing out that it takes a village to raise a child, then a group of Boston residents deserve a nod for adapting the village concept to older adults and what’s needed to remain at home as they age.
If you haven’t heard of a village yet, please allow me to introduce you!
It Takes a Village to Help a Golden Girl (or Boy)…
Every once in a while an idea is born out of necessity that is so brilliant in its simplicity that it sparks a movement. And that’s exactly the kind of idea that emerged among the residents of a small community in Boston called Beacon Hill back in 2001.
Older homeowners there were finding the up-keep of their homes to be a challenge but they weren’t ready to move to a retirement community or assisted living facility. So, they did what Bostonians have been doing since the colonies declared independence from the British – they joined forces.
What resulted was an organization they call Beacon Hill Village, comprised of residents who pay a yearly membership fee in exchange for access to a variety of services needed to age in place.
Village Services
In Beacon Hill Village, older adults in need of a light bulb change, some snow shovelling and/or a ride to and from the grocery store need only jump on the horn. For about $700 per year members have access to pre-screened list of vendors who provide these services at a reduced cost.
But that’s not all. Village members can also call upon volunteers, geriatric care managers, or join their neignbors in a walking group or on a museum trip.
Villages like the one at Beacon Hill are popping up everywhere
To find out if your aging parent may live in a village, visit: http://www.vtvnetwork.org/ and click on “Village Map” in the left hand column.
And if your aging parent lives in an area with many other older adults and you’d like to explore bringing the concept of a village to their community, the Founder’s Manual might be of interest.
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Is your aging parent in good, overall health? Excellent. Check out the Age Well page to find out how to keep it that way…