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As I near the completion of my Master’s degree in Gerontology, this semester I chose to explore the components of a Village to
Village network (VtV) and its viability to help seniors in my community of Zionsville, Indiana
to age in place. Currently, 89
Villages are operating across the United States, in Canada, Australia and the
Netherlands, with another 123 Villages in development to help
seniors and those with disabilities live as independently as possible.
The VtV is a peer-to-peer
network designed to help establish and continuously improve management of
"villages," whether in large metropolitan areas, rural towns or suburban
settings. The villages are started and
supported by community members. Volunteers and a small paid staff coordinate
access to affordable services needed by community members. That coordination also may include the offers
of discounted services from providers vetted by the Village. This resource
offers one stop shopping for anything the members may need or want, allowing
them one phone call access to help with a number of services.
The VtoV concept was started because many of our
neighbors live in isolation due to physical limitations, family and friends no
longer living near them, and because it can be difficult to make new
friends. This makes life doubly
difficult in dealing with daily situations hampered by limitations and having
no one to turn to for help, even for the simplest needs. This organization seeks to enhance neighbors’
quality of life by offering services such as:
- Home maintenance and repairs
- Routine household chores
- Grocery shopping and errands
- Meal delivery
- Transportation
- Health care and wellness
- Personal/household business
- Registry of emergency contacts and advance plans
In 2012, the board of Caring Community Connections in
Zionsville began meeting to discuss the interest of using VtoV in our
community. At this point, the board has decided to open the conversation to the
rest of community and will be hosting interactive dialogue sessions, known as
World Café, to gather input open-ended questions like “what contributes to
quality of life” and “what makes a vibrant community?” The participants share their ideas for twenty
minutes and then proceed to another table to answer a different question. After the completion of these meetings, it
will be the task of the board to sort through the answers and then develop a
program that is relevant to our specific community. Maybe Village to Village will fit the bill.
If you live in or around Zionsville, Indiana and you
are interested in participating in the World Café, please send me e-mail at
kappelk (at) uindy (dot) edu to be scheduled. If you don’t live near our community, visit
the Village to Village Network website to learn how you can begin thinking
about this concept for your own community.
Katrina Kappel
Katrina is a graduate assistant at the UIndy Center for Aging & Community and is pursuing her Master's degree in gerontology.
4 Comments:
The Village to Village Networks sounds like a great idea for seniors.
There are many in the community who would like to be of assistance and this sounds like a great way to connect people.
I hope the World Cafe gets good feedback. Thank you for sharing this program and good luck to you, Katrina!
Katrina- The VtV sounds like a great way to involve your community along with giving these individuals autonomy. What a great network to come across! Good luck!
This sounds like a fantastic program. Not only will it bring aid to those who are unable to take care of their needs, but it will also encourage community and the opportunity to meet new people. This service could promote interactions that would not otherwise occur.
I love this idea. Social netwroks and safety nets have erroded because of many limitations or neccesities of modern life. Reconnecting the community to replace the missing support is a logical approach.
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