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The rapidly-spreading Village Movement is helping older adults age gracefully by offering the best of two colliding worlds: “aging in place” to avoid institutional living while creating tight community bonds to foster better health and social connections.
But these villages are not retirement communities with fixed geographic boundaries. They are collections of individuals living in their own homes across traditional neighborhoods, communities, even entire cities or regions, with the members of each community connected by a network that offers them essential services allowing them to remain independent...
We have this here in the area in which we live. It's called "Seniors Helping Seniors" and charges a modest fee for assistance. Principally, however, and in our community (about 215 homes), we also believe in neighbors helping neighbors which is something alive and well, done voluntarily at no cost whatsoever and it's reciprocal.
This is not a retirement community and covers all ages. However, a significant number of us are retired and being welcoming and and helpful is simply considered being neighborly and has always been a part of the community's ethos.
I think that programs like these are truly the best way to go as many have children living too far away to provide needed assistance, everyone saves money and it's a way to give back or provide kindness forward.
I agree. In this fast-paced world we live in family members are just too busy or too spread out to help. In the older days when the nucleus of the family included many relatives living under the same roof things were different. We were able to care for aging relatives. Nowadays it seems few people want to be burdened with any such care. I remember my wife leaving her job to care for my mother who was dying of cancer. After a few months her employer would not allow her to come back at the same pay/benefits until she independently contacted a Senator in our state. At that point she was allowed back with all her benefits. Paying it forward or just being a good neighbor as Curmudgeon has said is worth everything these days.
When I was recovering from a stroke five years ago, I became very aware of the need for someone to run errands for the elderly and shut-ins and take them to appointments, etc. I was able to take a taxi to my daily physical/occupational therapy sessions for 6+ months but many shut-ins cant afford that. There are groups that will taxi them where they need to go but, again, those services cost $$$.
So, now that I've retired, I'm running errands (picking up prescriptions, buying groceries, taking pets to the vet, checking on them, etc) for a few shut-ins. I'm working on getting additional liability insurance so I can drive them to medical appointments as well. I still have a few medical issues to deal with myself and then I'll add more elderly and shut-ins to my schedule. It's very fulfilling.
I have a retired friend who along with his wife do much charity work for other seniors. It includes providing transportation and doing tax returns. He did the training and is state certifed.
I think this is going to be absolutely essential for seniors. Many seniors are far from family and will need others to help them as they age or they get sick. Some will not even have family, and as govt. cuts back, "getting by with a little help from their friends" will be invaluable. I hope we can retire to an area with people who have this same attitude.
For a price you can get any kind of help you need, from persons known or unknown. We have close by a "whatever you need" service, from home repair to transport to shopping, etc. But any businesses like this need to be well bonded/insured. For lay people especially seniors to offer help can present risks. I saw one private van marked Senior Transport and the person behind the wheel must have been 80, bent over the wheel. Anyone slipping and falling in your house or off a ladder suggests a lawsuit. Good to be aware of legal protection in any case when accepting help, perhaps even with family members.
Yes, we have "Neighbors who Care" here in south Chandler/Sun Lakes, AZ. Very similar type of organization run by volunteers.
That is great! I see more and more of these types of "volunteer" organizations popping up in the country. It's good, too. The U.S. has a rapidly aging population - thanks to the baby boomers - and there will be a need for seniors to help others. It's encouraging to know there are still people out there who are willing to help others without expecting monetary compensation. Is there hope for us, after all?
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I see more and more of these types of "volunteer" organizations popping up in the country. It's good, too. The U.S. has a rapidly aging population - thanks to the baby boomers 
- and there will be a need for seniors to help others. It's encouraging to know there are still people out there who are willing to help others without expecting monetary compensation. Is there hope for us, after all? 
