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Villages bring together agencies for seniors' health, social needs |
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A Palo Alto man stopped going to Stanford games when his wife died. That bothered Lisa Hendrickson, the CEO of Avenidas Senior Center. "The Stanford games were the backbone of his social life, but he had no one to go with," she said. "So I called him. I happen to know a widower who loves going to the games." Hendrickson says she sees that kind of matchmaking happening frequently in the newly launched Avenidas Village in Palo Alto. "We've heard a lot of people say, 'This village sounds like a good idea, but I still want to be able to help myself as much as possible, and I'd like to meet other members to be of assistance where I can be,' " Hendrickson said. "We're going to facilitate both of those instincts." The village concept is to bring together service agencies, volunteers, businesses and civic groups to create a network that addresses seniors' health and social needs and to counter the isolation that can exacerbate the problems of aging. About 80 percent of seniors have at least one chronic health condition - from arthritis and diabetes to respiratory disorders - that limits their physical activities; 50 percent have at least two, according to a U.S. Department of Commerce report, "65+ in the United States: 2005." Physical limitations - the inability to climb stairs or lift a 10-pound object, for example - increase the odds of developing a new disease within two years by nearly 50 percent, says the 2006 U.S. Health and Retirement Study. Those with at least some symptoms of depression were one-third more likely to develop a new disease within two years. Susan Poor, who's on the planning committee for the Richmond Village in San Francisco's Richmond District, says the idea is to aid seniors by helping them at home first: "The home becomes the gateway for doing other things in the community and trying to address the isolation that comes up." The Richmond Village program, which has been in development for more than a year, coincides with St. James' $4.3 million capital campaign. A four-story building is planned that will house a new community center, church offices, a preschool and rooms on the fourth floor for lease by the village program, which will be its own nonprofit. With Social Security the main source of income for most people 65 and older, funds for the kind of care that might keep them out of a nursing home can be in short supply outside of long-term care insurance. And few people purchase that. "A lot of people are scared to use their limited resources," said Anne Hinton, director of San Francisco's Department of Aging and Human Services. Medicare doesn't cover long-term needs. Only the very poor have hope of some federal assistance. "Unless it's for very low-income, nearly destitute seniors, those who make a little bit of money find it very hard to manage on a fixed income," Hendrickson said. "When they encounter the need, they have a very difficult time paying for it." Judy Willett, director of Boston's Beacon Hill Village, said of the village concept: "It's grassroots and organic ... a program that older people themselves initiate. They said this is what we want. It's the ultimate empowerment ... especially for Boomers, who are strongly opinionated about ourselves and our lives." Bay Area villages Avenidas Village, Palo Alto Membership: Open to adults 50 and older who live in Palo Alto, Mountain View, Stanford, Woodside, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto and Portola Valley. Membership costs are $750 single; $900 couple. Program offers:
Contact: Vickie Epstein at (650) 289-5404, vepstein@avenidas.org, or Elyse Gerson at (650) 289-5405, egerson@avenidas.org. Or visit www.avenidasvillage.org. Avenidas Senior Center is at 450 Bryant St., Palo Alto. Richmond Village, San Francisco Membership: Details to be determined. The program is expected to be up and running by mid-2008. In the plans are:
For information: For Richmond Village, call (415) 752-0139. For San Francisco's Community Living Fund, call (415) 355-3555 or (800) 510-2020. Making homes accessible for elderly
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