Working Together: Community-Based Villages and Other Aging Services Organizations Presented by Bruce Rosenthal, LeadingAge LeadingAge Maryland Annual Conference April 21, 2015
Dec 18, 2015
Working Together: Community-Based Villages and Other Aging
Services Organizations
Presented by Bruce Rosenthal, LeadingAge
LeadingAge Maryland Annual Conference
April 21, 2015
Learning Objectives
Discover how all types of aging services providers can partner with senior villages in their community and help Villages meet the needs of their members.
Learn ways in which providers can work with villages in win-win-relationships for the aging services provider, the village, and older adults in the community.
Gain insights into how support for villages can be an important part of a provider’s continuum of services for senior and their families; engagement with the community; and social accountability.
What exactly is a village?
Villages are membership-driven, grass-roots organizations that, through both volunteers and paid staff, coordinate access to affordable services including transportation, health and wellness programs, home repairs, social and educational activities, and other day-to-day needs enabling individuals to remain connected to their community throughout the aging process.
What do villages provide?
It varies!
Helpline
access to services – from transportation to home repairs
health care
social services from financial services to benefits counseling
socialization and civic engagement
Survey reveals Villages' challenges
60% funding challenges
53% membership recruitment/retention
35% volunteer recruitment
VtV advisor notes challenges
meeting members' healthcare needs
supporting family caregivers
integrating and leveraging local resources
19% of Villages face challenges with collaborations
Many villages are going it alone
73% of villages are freestanding
provides autonomous control
sustainability is ongoing concern
Villages are potential collaborators
Villages are potential collaborators for residential-based aging services providers
brand identity
states collaborating with villages
emerging partners
Any type of provider is a collaborator
retirement communities
senior housing
assisted living
nursing homes
home and community-based services/senior centers
NORCs and NORC-SSPs
hospitals
Why providers partner?
mission-driven: improving the experience of aging
fulfilling your community benefit responsibility
meeting the needs of seniors in the community
becoming more engaged in the community
marketing opportunity
research opportunities
augment village’s services as members’ needs increase
What can providers offer to villages?
increased staff capacity
increased volunteer capacity
decreased administrative expenses
decreased expenses
What else can providers do for villages?
expanded marketing
increased brand identity
volunteers
Members
reciprocal board roles
Maintain the village’s autonomy
villages should have broad community engagement from various sectors
the village’s board should be diverse
villages should not be beholden to another organization
Villages are an opportunity for providers
grassroots connection to the wider community
drive change
“tip of the iceberg"
The future
bricks-and-mortar, care centers, villages, hybrids
“more options, better collaboration, mutual respect will benefit everyone"
LeadingAge member case studies
Mather Lifeways (Evanston, IL) provides office space and salary support for North Share Village
Friends House (Sandy Spring, MD) residents are creating a village
Carol Woods (Chapel Hill, NC) nurtured and supported a village
Horizon House (Seattle, WA) learned to “balance support of a local village
More LeadingAge member case studies
Claremont Manor, a Front Porch community, supported low-income village memberships and services
Messiah Lifeways (Mechanicsburg, PA) supports at-home lifestyles
Carleton-Willard at Home (Bedford, MA)
Assisted living residents (New Canaan, CT) has membership and activities arrangement
More LeadingAge member case studies
Iona Senior Services (Washington, DC) offers social worker support
Landis Communities (Lititz, PA) tapped village members for focus groups
Episcopal SeniorLife Communities (Rochester, NY) supports a hybrid village model
Combined strength
1 + 1 = 3
volunteer-run village with support from established aging services providers equals a powerful set of services for older adults
Next steps
contact a village (or be the incubator for a village)
consider collaborating with other types of organizations
convene a meeting
collaborate
don’t “own” the process
determine community needs
determine how each organization can fulfill needs
Structuring the partnership
LeadingAge Center for Applied Research:
What services will be provided?
Who is the target population?
How will the services be delivered?
What will the service frequency be?
How will the services be funded?
What are the requirements and expectations?
What physical infrastructure will be needed?
Structuring the partnership (continued)
What information will the partners share?
How will the partners communicate?
What program data will the partners track?
Will this be a “preferred provider” relationship?
How will the program be promoted?
How will insurance and liability be handled?
What structure will govern the partnership?
Strategic partnerships resource
LeadingAge’s new Thrive initiative
provides an essential framework and resources to help organizations achieve a successful future in meeting the needs of the people and communities they serve
see Strategic Partnerships section
www.LeadingAge.org/Thrive
Questions, comments, ideas
Village/provider partnerships are a win-win-win ... for the aging services, the village, and the people they serve.