DEFINITION:

• Aging in Place (AIP) is a national movement that enables people to stay in their own homes as they grow older by making available the social supports, wellness activities, and home maintenance services they require to live happy, productive lives in the community. AIP Groups (also known as Villages) are growing across the country as older people choose to live independently while benefiting from coordinated programs and services in their own community.
• AIP Groups or Villages are nonprofit, grassroots, membership organizations that are redefining aging by being a key resource to community members wishing to age in their own homes.  They are a social support network for their members that provide necessary services, (such as transportation, technology assistance, running errands to the pharmacy and grocery store), community engagement activities and other important resources crucial to aging interdependently.

Aging well is about having options for how and where you want to live. Aging in Place programs offer an alternative to traditional models of retirement living. They offer benefits to older adults and their families as well as the community al large.

“...villages connect neighbors with neighbors. Members get to know each other; volunteers meet and help others who request assistance and everyone benefits from a stronger social and community circle." - Member

Member benefits include:

• Access to services that empower you to live safely and independently
• Increased options for social interactions with peers
• Rides to medical and personal care appointments
• Peace of mind knowing friends stand ready to help
• Reduced caregiver burden
• The option to remain in your home, close to all that is familiar and among family and friends

How AIP benefits our communities:

• Residents remaining in the County contribute to our economy and tax base
• Older people have time, talent and experience to be tapped for the benefit of neighbors and neighborhoods
• There is a strong potential for lower health costs (e.g. fewer missed medical appointments; neighbors help neighbors in times of sickness; less social isolation)
• Job creation to meet the health and services needs of a growing older population
• Older adults help create strong multi-generational communities

AIP WORKING MODELS:

There are many ways for citizen community groups to structure supportive AIP groups to help people remain in their own homes as they age. Since each community is different, each interpretation of the AIP model may be different, and is only limited by the imagination and resources of the communities.

In Westchester County there are two basic models for Aging in Place, the Staffed Model and the All-Volunteer Model:

Staffed Model

This model is a grassroot stand-alone non-profit organization and is the most common structure nationally for an AIP group, (also known as a Village). It is administered through a combination of paid staff and volunteers. Members and volunteers are encouraged to participate in the governance by serving on the board or committees. These Villages have a strong reliance on volunteers to coordinate and execute the needs of Village members. In Westchester county these include At Home on the Sound SPRYE and Gramatan Village

All-Volunteer Model

This model is similar to the Staffed Model. It is a grassroot stand-alone non-profit organization, although is run exclusively by volunteers. In Westchester County these include Aging in Place in White Plains, De Haven on Hudson , It Takes a Village 10591 and New Rochelle Cares.

Volunteer

FIND AN AIP GROUP