Neighbors in Greenwood and Phinney are exploring the concept of “It Takes a Village” as it relates to elder housing. Drop by the Greenwood Senior Center, 525 N. 85th St., from 7-8 p.m. Wednesday for a discussion on how seniors can remain in their own homes and neighborhoods, getting services they need, without having to move to a nursing home or retirement complex.
The “Village” concept began in a Boston neighborhood in 2001. A group of elders shared a vision for an alternative to the currently available senior living situations and ways to stay in their homes as long as they wished. Today, the Phinney/Greenwood neighborhood is exploring the idea of how to create our own “Village”. We are holding a series of informational meetings to assess the interests in our community.
More meetings will be scheduled in October and November.
That first Village concept was in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. Here’s how their website describes it:
Beacon Hill Village is a membership organization in the heart of Boston. Created by a group of long-time Beacon Hill residents as an alternative to moving from their houses to retirement or assisted living communities, it was founded in 2001.
Beacon Hill Village enables a growing and diverse group of Boston residents to stay in their neighborhoods as they age, by organizing and delivering programs and services that allow them to lead safe, healthy productive lives in their own homes.
