Well, what do you know. From my old neighborhood on Beacon Hill, a great alternative to nursing homes and assisted living centers. An existing community figures out how to age where they live and still get the services they need without depending on adult children.
Aging at Home: For a Lucky Few a Wish Come True
ALONE in his row house on Beacon Hill, with four precipitous flights of stairs and icy cobblestones outside the front door, John Sears, 75, still managed to look after himself after he was hit by a taxicab and left with a broken knee.
That is because Mr. Sears was one phone call away from everything he needed to remain in his home, the goal of more than 80 percent of the nation's elderly as they confront advancing age, according to consistent polls.
Mr. Sears required both practical assistance and peace of mind: Transportation to and from the hospital. An advocate with him at medical appointments. Home-delivered meals from favorite restaurants. Someone at his side as he hobbled to the bank and the barber. Someone else to install grab bars in his bathroom. A way to summon help in an emergency. People to look in on him.
They are all only one phone call away and organized by Beacon Hill Village, a non profit organization, created by the local residents themselves for themselves with a little help
In the lingo of the US Administration on Aging, it's a NORC - a natural occurring retirement community.
"I don't want a so-called expert determining how I should be treated or what should be available to me," said 72-year-old Susan McWhinney-Morse, one of the founders. "The thing I most cherish here is that it's we, the older people, who are creating our own universe."
Five years ago, Beacon Hill Village was a wish, not a plan.
Today, it has 340 members ages 52 to 98, an annual budget of $300,000, an executive director and staff, a stable of established service providers and enough foundation support to subsidize moderate or low-income members, who number one-fifth of the total. The annual fee is $550 for an individual and $780 for a household, plus the additional cost of discounted "à la carte" services.
A how-to manual is coming next month.