What is the Village Movement?

 

The Village Movement is an innovative grassroots movement that coordinates critical services for older adults.  Villages are one of the most promising options to cope with the upcoming “Revolution Aging” dilemma.  The Village Movement began in 1999 with a group of older adults that wanted to live in their own homes while staying engaged in social activities within their neighborhood.  

 

However, this group of older adults still recognized the need for support in the future and didn’t want to rely on existing solutions such as nursing homes, retirement communities, and hired helpers.  As a result, the Village Movement was born with the idea of being active and supporting others with the same needs and social outlook.

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A Proven Model

 

Twenty years later, the establishment of more than 300 Villages across the nation and many others in development has proven that seniors aspire to age independently in their communities with the Village model.  The Village Movement allows seniors to be part of an active community and find a purposeful way to age. Despite the rapid growth of Villages around the country, there were still some essential features needed to give seniors the ability to remain in their own homes.

 

UC Berkeley Professor Scharlach, one of the most prestigious scholars in the field of social welfare, analyzed the Village model and concluded that “Villages represent a promising new model, with the potential for positively affecting seniors in ways that may reduce social isolation, expand access to services, increase well-being, and increase seniors’ confidence in their ability to age in their homes.

 

Taking the Village Movement to the Next Level

 

In 2016, our innovative approach to the Village model gave seniors the tools necessary to develop their Villages, expand access to services, increase social outreach, and allows seniors to confidently age in their own homes.  The revolutionary and easy-to-use technology of Helpful Village is being used by thousands of seniors across the nation and includes Villages in Palo Alto CA, San Francisco CA, Washington DC, Columbus OH, and many more. To find a Helpful Village near you, please check out the Village Map.  

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To find out more about the Village Movement, visit: The Village to Village Network.