Knowledgebase

Model Programs: Senior Citizens

• Elderly people in some communities have banded together to hire professional help in so-called "aging in place communities":

  • A Community Built On a Shared Need: Village Movement Forms Ties to Help Retirees Keep Homes

  • Beacon Hill Village- a community based model for aging in place.

• Meals on Wheels's volunteers provide meals to home-bound seniors.

• West Virginia University Center on aging has published the Best Practices in Service Delivery to the Rural Elderly.

• The Aging in Place Initiative has created a best practices database that contains programs successful at increasing the livability of their communities.

• The Virtual Senior Center connect homebound seniors to community and family.

• ENcorps is a Maine program that "provides on-going training and networking opportunities in addition to a two-day Leadership Summit experience. There, participants learn about community development, community health, and environmental stewardship, and have a chance to meet other ENCorps Volunteers from around the state. Sample ENCorps Volunteer Opportunities include:
  • Serve as an environmental educator with a conservation program
  • Help build and maintain walking trails in your community
  • Assist as a volunteer water quality analyst for a lake near your home
  • Help to write grants for a local planning organization or environmental program
  • Participate in a local town planning committee or board"