EAST WASHINGTON LIFE Your Home Or Th e Nursing Home? DC Leads In New Approach To Helping Older Adults Stay in Their Homes

by Stephen Lilienthal

any Washingtonians Because home health care alerted are coming to see CHV that a laptop computer would fl edgling “villages” better serve the member’s needs when across the city as pre- bedridden, a volunteer purchased one sentingM a way to fulfi ll the deeply- for the bedridden member and pro- held wishes of older Washingtonians vided instructions on its use. to age in place. A “village” is an orga- Statistics for June 2011 demon- nization that meets the needs of an strate the importance of CHV in the older population by making it possi- lives of its 250 member households. ble for people to stay in their commu- Transportation assistance, often to and nities. Neighborhood residents create from doctor visits, was provided 127 villages to help coordinate and deliv- times. Twenty-nine shopping trips er services and supports within their were taken. Home maintenance assis- communities. Th is consumer-driven tance was provided twenty-two times. and person-centered approach can And McDonough makes clear help delay or even prevent the need that it is not all about receiving by for institutional care. Now, DC’s op- CHV members. She tells the story erating villages have policymakers in of an elderly member who is an avid the administration of Mayor Vincent gardener and knows a lot about a Gray excited about a possible way to In the Southeast Library, CHV members are offered computer assistance by Sidwell Friends students. particular vine that was growing in help older Washingtonians to remain another member’s garden. A picture in their homes and apartments longer was taken of the vine and given to rather than move to costly assisted people through the steps on what’s residents to stay in their homes and the homebound member who said living facilities or nursing homes. involved in starting a village,” says in the community by providing vol- the vine was invasive and needed to Dr. John Th ompson, executive Th ompson. unteer services ranging from rides and be removed. director of the DC Offi ce on Aging One village DC policymakers are shopping trips, to home chores such CHV off ers opportunities for (DCOA) is one policymaker who be- looking to as a model for the city is as fi xing a dripping faucet. Contractor its members to take advantage of lieves that “it takes a village to help Capitol Hill Village (CHV), whose references are also provided. cultural programming such as yoga older Washingtonians to sustain their headquarters is located just over a Over 200 people, mostly from and balance classes, helps to sponsor quality of life in the community.” half-mile up from the Capitol off Capitol Hill, volunteer their services AARP-DC Driver Safety classes for Louis Davis, Jr., state director of the of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. But it to CHV and its members. Th e com- its members, and organizes dinners AARP-District of Columbia, chimes is not the only one in the city since manding general of this army of al- and theatre performances, often at in, “As people live longer, they want the list includes villages in Dupont truists is an energetic woman named discounted rates. amenities so they can stay in their Circle, Georgetown, Glover Park, Katie McDonough, the new executive homes longer.” Northwest Neighbors (Chevy Chase/ director, who has a master’s degree in Villages Th e reality is that more people Tenleytown), and Palisades. Andy social work from the University of Not Just For Th e Oldest Or Th e will be growing older as baby boom- Mollison, president of Palisades Vil- Pennsylvania. ers age, it costs lots of money to have lage, says a meeting held in August McDonough tells a story about Richest older people stay in nursing homes, of the newly formed Washington the impact CHV can have on behalf McDonough says that people and most older folks, many of whom Area Village Exchange identifi ed of its members. of any age can benefi t from join- live alone, want to stay in their twenty-eight villages in the Greater “A member of the village who has ing CHV. Many volunteers who aid homes. Washington area, which includes the several chronic illnesses was in the older members are high school stu- Th ese realities lead Th ompson Maryland and Virginia suburbs, that hospital nearly a month. Before, the dents performing community service. to predict, “We’re on the next wave are either operating or being formed. member had always refused home “We want people to join early. We do of villages in DC.” He and DCOA health care services. But the member not want people to wait until they Community Planner Courtney Wil- Capitol Hill Village could not live a home safely now,” become disabled.” Too many Ameri- McDonough explains. McDonough, cans, she thinks, have a negative view liams expect to spend the fall hold- Leading By Example at the time CHV’s director of com- of aging and hesitate to ask for help. ing engagement workshops across Located in the basement of a 7th munity and social services, and then- McDonough is initiating an Inter- the city including East of the River Street, SE townhouse of a benefac- executive director Gail Kohn helped generational Skills Exchange that (EOTR) encouraging community tor, Capitol Hill Village’s offi ces is the to persuade the member to allow home will rely on social networking to link leaders to seriously consider starting nerve center of this busy organization. health care services to provide care and people with needs to people who have villages. “Th e workshops will take CHV is helping older Capitol Hill CHV volunteers also provide services. the requisite knowledge and skills.

30 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2011 Many CHV members own their homes even though not all have much disposable income. Reg- Villages In DC ular dues are $530 for an individual and $800 for a Capitol Hill Village Now Open! household. Th anks to a special fund that was cre- Box 15126 ated, individuals with incomes below $40,000 (in- Washington, DC 20003-0126 phone: 202-543-1778 dividuals) can seek “membership plus” assistance e-mail: [email protected] Our mission is to empower inner city at risk that limits their dues to $100. Households of two website: www.capitolhillvillage.org/ teenage girls by providing them with the or more persons with incomes below $50,000 have tools to achieve academic success, social their dues priced at $200. Plus, they can request Chevy Chase/Tenleytown/AU Park competence, self esteem, and self worth. Northwest Neighbors Village fi nancial assistance to help pay for services not of- 5425 Western Avenue, NW fered by volunteers. However, the fund relies upon Washington,DC 20015 special donations and grants which leads CHV’s phone: 202-237-1895 webpage to caution that “membership plus” is de- e-mail: [email protected] www.highteensociety.com website: http://www.nwnv.org/ 202-271-1865 pendent upon “the extent that monies are avail- 2300 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave, SE Suite 316 able” in the fund. Dupont Circle Village WDC, 20032 Capitol Hill Village, initiated by Geoff Lewis, Dupont Circle Community Resource Center 9 Dupont Circle, NW who read a New York Times article about the fi rst Washington, DC 20036 village, Beacon Hill Village, in Boston, is consid- phone: 202-436-5252 ered to be the best developed village in the city. e-mail: [email protected] Other leading villages in the city include Palisades, website: http://dupontcirclevillage.org/ DuPont Circle, and Northwest Neighbors Village Georgetown Village, Inc. (Chevy Chase/Tenleytown). Sharon Lockwood, Chair Pennsylvania Avenue Village East, a fl edgling 3238 O Street, NW village EOTR, has a webpage but one of its orga- Washington, DC Mailing address nizers, Rev. Ethel Wilson, declined to discuss its P.O. Box 3563 plans. DCOA Community Planner Williams sug- Washington, DC 20027 gests churches might be able to combine to forge phone: 202-999-8988 villages for their members, setting up discounted e-mail: [email protected] website: http://georgetown-village.org/ memberships for people in need. Some activi- ties related to a village already take place through Glover Park Village, Inc. churches, but there will be greater pay-off with the P.O. Box 32255 Animal Clinic of Anacostia Washington, D.C. 20007 combined power of several churches or organiza- phone: 202-436-5545 tions working together. e-mail: [email protected] Kalorama Village* Candace A. Ashley, DVM What Comes Next? (in redevelopment) 20 years of serving Capitol Hill Some village activists like villages because they 2126 Connecticut Avenue, NW (minutes from Capitol Hill & Southwest Apt. 52 are free of top-down bureaucracy. “It’s about people via 11th Street Bridge) Washington, DC 20008 reaching out to each other,” says one Northwest e-mail: [email protected] 2210 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave, SE DC village organizer. Palisades’ Mollison says the website: www.kaloramavillage.org/Home.html relationship between villages and government can 202.889.8900 be positive in the way it has been with government Palisades Village PO Box 40403 American Express, MasterCard, Visa & Discover accepted supporting -- not micro-managing -- other non- Washington , DC 20016-0403 profi ts. “Villages are not a city agency and key to phone: 202 244-3310 their success is their complete fl exibility to meeting e-mail: [email protected] their members’ needs,” he says. Burdensome rules website: http://www.palisadesvillage.org/ and guidelines will not be welcome by villages. Pennsylvania Avenue Village East* Candace Baldwin of the Village to Village phone 202-657-6160 Pain & Rehab Center Network, the national peer to peer network for website: www.pavillageeast.org/Welcome.html Dr Nesley Clerge, DC villages, says when AARP’s magazine published West End/Foggy Bottom* an article about villages her offi ce was inundated phone: 202-331-1495 Heon Jang, PT , DPT with phone calls and e-mails expressing interest. e-mail: [email protected] She cautions that obtaining support for villages on [email protected] * Considered to be “in development” as op- Auto Accidents and other injuries the federal level might be more diffi cult given that posed to fully operating. We accept Workers Comp and Medicare policymakers would demand extensive and expen- sive longitudinal studies to prove their value. Source: Village to Village Network Membership “Villages,” says Baldwin, “make common sense. Directory, Washington Area Village Exchange, web search for Pennsylvania Avenue Village People get it. Th ey like it.” She expects a “ground- East. swell that may push [forming villages] faster than any longitudinal study.” 2041 MLK Ave SE Ste 106 Washington DC 20020 Stephen Lilienthal, a freelance writer, lives in Wash- 202-610-0260 ington, D.C. ●

CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM ★ 31