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Prologue
The Partnership for Age-Friendly Communities (PAFC) is a coalition of agencies and community
volunteers primarily sponsored by the Foundation on Aging for Larimer County and the Larimer County
Office on Aging. The mission of the PAFC is to promote the well-being of seniors in Larimer County,
with focus on a community culture which embraces aging, health and wellness, access and mobility, and
diverse housing options.
The Housing Self Directed Volunteer Team (SDVT) was formed under the auspices of PAFC to
“Research best practices of innovative housing options for seniors of all income levels.” After a daylong
training on Self Directed Volunteer Teams, the group started researching best practices throughout the
United States and the world. The group met from September 2014 – January 2015. This report is the
result of that research and was developed with the hope that other groups will use this information to
implement some of the ideas herein.
Self Directed Volunteer Team members
Sue Ballou
Phillip Elliot
Summer Garcia
Katy Mason
Dawn Mathis
Tamera Sass
Ken Tharp
Marty Tharp
Individually written Research Reports were summarized by Summer Garcia
Editors: Ron and Celeste Lasky, Write-On Publications, Estes Park CO and Dawn Mathis
Final Edit March 18, 2015
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Introduction
One of the biggest concerns surrounding our aging population in Larimer County is offering
sufficient options in affordable/accessible housing. Many seniors are expressing their desires to “Age in
Place” and currently in Larimer County, these are not yet implemented to any measureable degree. “Age
in Place” is a term used when referring to seniors who continue to reside in homes where they have lived
for years. Typically, “Aging in Place” does not refer to living in a health care environment or nursing
home, but rather living at home and using products, services, and conveniences which allow them to
remain in their homes as their circumstances change. In other words, “Age in Place” means that a senior
continues to live in the home of their own choice, safely and independently, as they grow older (Roden,
2014).
What are the Realistic Options for Aging in Community?
Currently there are 26,983 seniors, 60 years of age and older living in Larimer County (Fort Collins
Demographics, 2014). The population of people over age 65, in Larimer County, is predicted to grow by
140% between 2010 and 2030 (Colorado State Demography Office, 2014). These statistics, reflect the
vital need for Larimer County to explore alternatives to allow senior to age where they live.
The Partnership for Age Friendly Communities Self Direct Volunteer Team – namely “The Housing
Committee,” was created to research evidenced based options for the aging community in Larimer
County and to report on their findings. The innovative housing options that were reported by The
Housing Committee were: Village to Village Networks, Natural Occurring Retirement Communities
(NORC's), Cohousing, Tiny Houses, Shared Housing, and Shared Housing “Golden Girl Style.” These
innovative housing options are successfully utilized and implemented worldwide.
Village to Village Network
The very first Village to Village Network was established in Boston in the Beacon Hill area. The
concept of the Village can be created anywhere there is a concentration of seniors. The Village is a
voluntary neighborhood association with basic services for the members such as social and educational
events, community interactions, volunteer services, and vetted vendors (Village to Village, 2014). “The
mission of the Village to Village Network is to enable communities to establish and effectively manage
aging in community with organizations inspired and created by their members” (Village to Village, 2014,
p.1).
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Villages provide “wrap around” services and require less involvement of government services for
seniors. The Affordable Care Act, the growth and development of Home and Community Based
Services, as well as person-directed care will require in the future more creative collaborations between
housing, health care, transportation and social services (Village to Village, 2014).
Villages are grass-roots organizations. They are membership-driven and run mostly by volunteers
and, on a limited basis, paid staff. Villages are based on the needs of the community. They are seen as a
“one stop shop” for the members of the Village; they have anything and everything their members may
want or need (Village to Village, 2014). Villages organize access to affordable services that include, but
are not limited to transportation, home repairs, yard work, pet care, shopping, social and educational
activities, health classes, and wellness trips. Some Villages also implement friendly visitors on occasion
– perhaps weekly or monthly (Columbine Community Village, 2014). The services provided by the
Village depend on the availability of the volunteers. Most Villages will try to accommodate a request if a
senior member would benefit from a service not already on the list of provided services (Columbine
Community Village, 2014).
For the services that the volunteers are not able to provide, the Village may refer the senior member
to one of their recommended providers, whose background and references have been thoroughly checked.
These providers offer the members of the Village a discount for their services. These services include a
variety of assistance programs from appliance repair, emergency call systems, exterior cleaning of their
homes, home delivered meals, home health care, painting, plumbing, and lawn care (Columbine
Community Village, 2014).
The yearly membership fee typically ranges from $600-$800 per year. Many of the services
provided are free to members of that specific Village. Fundraising, grants, and other contributions fill in
the rest of the budget. Most Villages have an Executive Director and some part time staff. The average
size of an established Village is about 100-150 members (Village to Village, 2014).
Membership benefits may also include a variety of social and educational activities. The selections
and frequency is determined by the interest of members and the creativity of Village leaders and
volunteers. Villages may arrange activities such as monthly restaurant outings, get-togethers, game days,
walking and exercise groups, book clubs, special speakers, health and wellness events, and much more
(Columbine Community Village, 2014).
The Village concept affords a measure of well-being to its members. Seniors face three major
obstacles by living/aging at home: limited access to transportation, the risk of falling, and social isolation