There's No Place Like Home: District Neighborhoods Explore Concierge Services
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2006-12-12 16:14:25.646480-05:00
A key finding of a May 2006 AARP DC survey was no surprise—90% of District voters say it is important to them to be able to remain at home as long as possible as they age.
The question is, how?
Some residents of the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston think they may have found the answer. They have established a full-service concierge program that links members with anything from a ride to the doctor's office to house painting to free lectures and exercise classes to help coaxing a pet cat down from a tree. To participate in the "Village," as they call it, you must be 50 or older and a resident of Beacon Hill.
The idea definitely has legs. After reading about Beacon Hill Village in the AARP Bulletin, at least 4 District groups are considering establishing such a model. Norman Metzger, on the Board of Directors for a Capitol Hill project, helped lead several information gathering sessions to assess local interest.
After Board members met with 80-100 neighbors, he said, it became clear that "It's a strong sense of community and a love of the community that is driving the project. (People) love the flair and the camaraderie and the energy of the place and they don't want to leave."
Sharon Hays, who is exploring the concept with her Palisades neighbors, described a similar sentiment, "We're already a close neighborhood. We're … very strong. We all would like to hang out and stay here."
AARP DC wants to learn what we can do to help them—and other groups that are pursuing this model. If you live in DC, and you've started making plans for a Beacon Hill-type project in your neighborhood, or you'd like to get in touch with others who have, please contact Aisha Bonner at (202) 434-7707 or via email.
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