According to an AARP study, 86 percent of senior citizens wish to stay in their homes as long as possible, but are concerned about the burden this could have on the family members responsible for their care.
Many elderly citizens cite aspects such as the work they put into their home and the value they place on their independence as reasons for their hope to stay in their own home as they age. Additionally, Gail Kohn, Director of a Village in Washington, D.C., says that many elderly citizens are driven away from more traditional solutions such as retirement homes due to their wish to “avoid ‘old age ghettos.’”
Given this mentality, it’s no wonder that the Village movement is quickly growing.
Below are quotes taken from those involved in Villages, either through work or because they are a part of one, that illustrate how many feel that Villages are the better solution for our aging population:
“She doesn’t see us as elderly clients who need her help,” says Warner Saunders, 76, about the Executive Director of his Village. “I see Dianne as a friend.”
“I’d call the village the best bargain in town.”
- AARP, 2011 (Warner Saunders, 76)
Roberta Rothman, 76, told Senior Planet in 2017 that Villages are “a little bit like an insurance policy. When and if you’ll need these things, there’s going to be someone there. If I have to stop driving, which would be a very difficult change, I know I could get people to take me to doctors and remain social. As long as one keeps one’s health within reason, I certainly see this as a solution to a lot of needs.”
“Think of a village as a kind of ‘artisanal retirement,’ a modern reinterpretation of an older, more enlightened way of life. And just as there's nothing quite like homegrown tomatoes, there's no replacement for the direct connection with people who live near you."
Jay Walljasper, author of “All That We Share: A Field Guide to the Commons, a book about how cooperative movements foster a more livable society.” (AARP 2011)
“The thing I most cherish here is that it’s we, the older people, who are creating our own universe.”
- Susan McWhinney-Morse,72, to NY Times, 2009
Many elderly citizens cite aspects such as the work they put into their home and the value they place on their independence as reasons for their hope to stay in their own home as they age. Additionally, Gail Kohn, Director of a Village in Washington, D.C., says that many elderly citizens are driven away from more traditional solutions such as retirement homes due to their wish to “avoid ‘old age ghettos.’”
Given this mentality, it’s no wonder that the Village movement is quickly growing.
Below are quotes taken from those involved in Villages, either through work or because they are a part of one, that illustrate how many feel that Villages are the better solution for our aging population:
“She doesn’t see us as elderly clients who need her help,” says Warner Saunders, 76, about the Executive Director of his Village. “I see Dianne as a friend.”
- AARP, 2011
“I’d call the village the best bargain in town.”
- AARP, 2011 (Warner Saunders, 76)
Roberta Rothman, 76, told Senior Planet in 2017 that Villages are “a little bit like an insurance policy. When and if you’ll need these things, there’s going to be someone there. If I have to stop driving, which would be a very difficult change, I know I could get people to take me to doctors and remain social. As long as one keeps one’s health within reason, I certainly see this as a solution to a lot of needs.”
“Think of a village as a kind of ‘artisanal retirement,’ a modern reinterpretation of an older, more enlightened way of life. And just as there's nothing quite like homegrown tomatoes, there's no replacement for the direct connection with people who live near you."
Jay Walljasper, author of “All That We Share: A Field Guide to the Commons, a book about how cooperative movements foster a more livable society.” (AARP 2011)
“The thing I most cherish here is that it’s we, the older people, who are creating our own universe.”
- Susan McWhinney-Morse,72, to NY Times, 2009
For more information, visit:
https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the-best-life/2011/01/28/senior-villages-take-root-as-movement-matures
https://www.aarp.org/home-garden/livable-communities/info-04-2011/villages-real-social-network.html
https://seniorplanet.org/the-village-model-a-neighborly-way-to-age-in-place/
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