What is a Village?
Neighbors Caring for Neighbors! Villages are community-based, nonprofit, grassroots organizations formed through a cadre of caring neighbors who want to change the paradigm of aging.
Local Villages connect members to a wide array of practical support services and social connections that enable older adults to enjoy a rich, independent and healthy quality of life when they choose to age in their homes and communities. Villages build a sense of community and offer resources, services, programs and activities, including social and educational programs, health and wellness activities and volunteer assistance with transportation, light home maintenance, and technology coaching. The Village Movement originated in Boston with Beacon Hill Village, leading the way for a more economically efficient model for aging.
Village Characteristics:
While each Village is different and reflects the needs of its members and community, Villages share many common characteristics:
- Provide a strong, inclusive community that offers members new opportunities to age successfully
- Are membership-driven, self-governing, grassroots, nonprofit organizations
- Are run by volunteers and may have paid staff
- Coordinate access to affordable services, including transportation, health and wellness programs, technology support, home repairs, social and educational activities
- Offer access to vetted service providers (e.g., plumbers, electricians, painters)
- Positively impact isolation, interdependence, health and purpose, reducing their members' overall cost of care
- Serve as one-stop-shopping for the services members need to age safely and successfully in their own homes
- Form linkages with community partners to help address the challenges of aging
Why Are Villages Needed Now?
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 older adults to age in a place of their choosing, connected to their communities with the practical supports and tools they need to create successful aging of their own design.
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 Model works! Village members consistently report a positive impact on their well-being and quality of life as a direct result of their participation in their Village.
“Villages are instrumental in helping people remain in their homes and independent in their communities.” - Ilene Henshaw, AARP, Department of Government Affairs.
Join a Village:
To find a Village near you use the Village Map. Then visit that Village's website for signup details.
How do I Start a Village?
Tips for getting started:
- Set up a working group of a few friends and neighbors who want to stay in their own homes, and/or are passionate about improving the lives of older adults in your community.
- Get your working group informed about Villages, how they work and what they do by going to the Find a Village section on our website and using the Village Map to look at a variety of Village websites.
- Invest in a one-year Opportunity Membership with VtV Network. This membership gives you access to the Document Library, discussion Forums, Webinars, Toolkits and other resources. We recommend you start working through the Village 101 Toolkit as soon as you can.
- Watch the "Village 101" webinar.
- Sign up for the VtV Network mentor program to get an experienced Village organizer assigned to advise your planning and development process – another service included in the Opportunity Membership fee.
- Contact the VtV Network office to find out if there is a regional Village organization in your area. If so, join this group to establish relationships with your local Villages, get acquainted with peers and access their support and advice.
- Find out if your local Area Agency on Aging, Human Services Department or equivalent organizations, have policies or programs to encourage Village development.
To view the full Village 101 Toolkit and learn how to start a Village from the ground up, please consider joining Village to Village Network.
Click Here to learn about Member Benefits and our membership tiers.
Click Here to learn more about the Village to Village Network.