Our speaker at the March 19th meeting was Marilyn Olson with Villages OKC.
Marilyn emphasised was that we should not try to look for VillagesOKC on a map since it is a Plan, NOT a Place. It is not a real estate development or a retirement community. It is a group of like-minded people in a geographic area who come together and develop the resources they will need to age comfortably in their own homes. Villages bring services to people rather than moving people to services. It is a "hub" of neighbors helping neighbors to create networks of support and reduced-cost professional services.
The village movement is one of the most viable options to let our society cope with the upcoming “Revolution Aging.” The revolution is due to the unprecedented number of seniors in America over 55. This number is growing by 10,000 per day. This number is many times greater than the number of available retirement communities or assisted living communities available or even planned. Thus has developed another option - aging in place in one's own home. So far over 200 "Villages" are in operation across America and over 150 more are in the planning stages.
Villages OKC Northwest is the first Village in Oklahoma City and has started as anot for profit corporation established September 2017 by a group of volunteer neighbors. The boundaries are I-40, Sara Road on the west, Western Avenue on the east, and 206th on the north.
There are three levels of membership available:
- Full Services Members can receive services in the home as well as attend all social and educational events as well as computer access to the vetted vendor list.
- Social Memberships allow attendance at all social and educational events and also access to the vetted vendor list.
- Associate Memberships are for anyone not living within the VillagesOKC Northwest parameters, with the same benefits and fees as social members.
Associate membes are likely considering the development of a spoke Village near their home. Life-long Learning: We believe the more we know, the better we age We plan regular seminars and workshops for our village members – for example, technology assistance for phone/computer/tablet/TV; information on Medicare supplements; Oklahoma gardening, and more.
Steps to becoming a member are simple: apply, complete the background check, pay the annual fee. A detailed explanation of the membership categories and fees is located on the Members Tab.
Many who are village members are also volunteers - because having a meaningful purpose adds value to life. "When you have something to give, you are never poor".