A new angle on aging in place: The virtual village

For most of us, Plan A for long-term housing is pretty simple: live at home, independently, for as long as possible. Plan B gets more complicated. What will happen when we need assistance getting groceries, maintaining the house, going to the doctor, and staying socially connected? The answer for some people is a grassroots trend called a "virtual village."

The village model

A virtual village isn't a place. It's a group of people who live in their own homes, near each other, and agree to help each other. They form a self-governing nonprofit organization that offers membership to any household within its coverage area, which could include one or many neighborhoods.

Village members volunteer, based on their skills, to provide services such as

• managing the village's dedicated help hotline
• transportation
• errands
• household repairs
• friendly visits and telephone check-ins
• social and educational events
• exercise groups
• technology support
• referrals to vetted services and suppliers.

Because a village is run by volunteers (although there might be one or two paid staffers), membership may be free or as much as $1,200 per year. There may be fees for some services, too, such as repairs.

Health benefits

Living in a village helps you remain independent and offers peace of mind that you have a support system.

"The village won't replace an assisted living facility or nursing home, if that's what you need, but it may help delay the transition," says Dr. Susanne Hartmann, a geriatrician with Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "Many of my patients move into assisted living because transportation becomes a big issue. Or they might need a private aide because they're no longer safe by themselves. If a village can solve transportation issues, or help them find an aide, they may no longer have to leave home."

A village also keeps people socially connected, which staves off loneliness and isolation - factors associated with chronic disease, cognitive decline, and premature death.

Find a village

If you're interested in finding a village in your area, you can check out the Village to Village website (www.vtvnetwork.org). It has a map of villages throughout the United States and information about how to contact them.

You might also get village information at your local senior center or regional Area Agency on Aging, part of a network of more than 600 agencies that receive federal funding to coordinate older adult support services and provide referrals to them. To find yours, go to /ecl.

And it's a good idea to consult your doctor about whether the village model would be a good fit for your health and abilities - the sooner, the better. "Getting involved when you're still mentally and physically active will give you the best chance of living in your own home longer," Dr. Hartmann says. "You benefit at any age when you have a strong community and social network."

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