Aging in place brings into play a set of issues and questions extending far beyond your actual residence. Does your community offer the key aging-in-place amenities, such as good public transportation, one-stop shopping locations, shuttle services, age-appropriate fitness and community centers. Will you have access to friends and family, and ways to stay engaged and active in your community?

In some parts of the country, residents have banded together to form associations that can provide necessary services. The leading model is the so-called “intentional community,” a non-profit, consumer-led approach to supporting aging in place. The pioneer in this movement is Beacon Hill Village, which was launched in 2002 and serves central Boston. It’s a grassroots community, founded by a small group of residents who wanted to stay in their homes as they grew old, rather than move to a senior community. It’s a virtual community bring services to people where they live, rather than moving people to services in institutional settings. The youngest members are in their early 50s, and the oldest is over 100; their health ranges from very good to people who have serious needs.

Beacon Hill also operates the Village to Village Network (VTV), a national organization that provides support services to intentional community start-ups. VTV is sponsoring a symposium on “Creating and Running Your Own Village” on October 26th at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.  If you’re interested in starting an intentional community, you won’t want to miss this event. Registration information is here.

Related posts:

1. WSJ: Making suburbs age-friendly communities
2. Online resource launches for intentional communities movement

Tags | aging in place, housing, intentional communities