First of all, this Village is not an actual village. It is not a real estate development or a retirement community. It is a group of like-minded people in a geographic area who come together and develop the resources they will need to age comfortably in their own homes. Villages bring services to people rather than moving peole to services - neighborshelping neighbors create networks of support and reduced-cost professional services.
Across the nation the village movement is an innovative grassroots organization which has emerged in the last decade providing support services for community-dwelling older adults (Prof. A. Scharlach, UC Berkeley).The village movement is one of the most viable options to let our society cope with the upcoming “Revolution Aging.” The revolution is due to the unprecendented number of seniors in America over 55. This number is growing by 10,000 per day. This number is many times greater than the number of available retirement communities or assisted living communities available or even planned. Thus has developed another option - aging in place in one's own home.
Beacon Hill, the first village, came to birth in Boston, Massachusetts and this is how they describe their inception:
In 1999, our founders, a group of friends, gathered to talk about the future. We wanted to stay engaged in our own neighborhood in this vibrant city. But we recognized that we might need support in the future.
Aging at Home but not Alone!
We looked beyond conventional solutions. We wanted more freedom and control than we found in models that focus on single issues, such as housing, medical care, or social activities. We wanted to be active, taking care of ourselves and each other rather than being “taken care of.” Today, Beacon Hill continues as a vibrant and active village.
Beacon Hill neighbors proved that seniors wanted to get together around local villages, help each other and be part of an active community of seniors. This model was so promising that after a few years 200 villages have successfully risen all across the nation and 150 others are in development.
We are an Oklahoma not for profit corporation established September 2017 by a group of volunteer neighbors. The vision is for many cooperative Villages across the Oklahoma City metro area. As a hub organization, we share knowledge and resources, still allowing multiple Villages to develop their own neighborhood organizations. We believe by working together we can accomplish more but share what is common thus minimizing costs. The hub nurtures, coaches and supports the work of each village within the spoke.
Our first metro village is VillagesOKC.
VillagesOKC offers members services in the home, as well as attend all social and educational events and computer access to the vetted vendor list. VillagesOKC needs lots and lots of volunteers. Volunteers too are vetted and trained to provide important support. Many who are village members are also volunteers - because having a meaningful purpose adds value to life. When you have something to give, you are never poor.
Steps to becoming a member are simple: apply, complete the background check, pay the annual fee. A detailed explanation of the membership categories and fees is located on the Members Tab.
