North Shore Village Connects
Older Adults Offline & Online
Evanston, IL, May 5, 2011
Long before the U.S. Administration on Aging declared that "Connecting the Community" would be the theme for May 2011 Older Americans Month, North Shore Village was already at it. Organized by community volunteers in Evanston and Wilmette just over a year ago, North Shore Village (NSV) is part of a growing national movement to enable older citizens to "age in community" with friends and neighbors. By connecting members to services and support, and by fostering social engagement, villages help older adults stay in their own homes and live the best and fullest lives possible. In fact, North Shore Village, which has grown to nearly 200 members, is a community of connections. Member-to-member, member-to-vendor, member-to-programs and events, member-to- volunteer, and even member-to-virtual community through NSV's new web portal—wherever and whenever members need and want to connect, North Shore Village makes it possible.
Those connections are as deep as they are broad.When excruciating back pain sent North Shore Villager Lynn Lawson to the emergency room, the village stepped in immediately to handle everything Lynn and her husband Courtney could not. One phone call to NSV Executive Director Helen Gagel launched a network of care connections, all working in concert to help the Lawsons navigate the crisis, from Lynn's hospitalization through at-home support following her discharge.
The first task was to let Courtney, who was asleep upstairs when Lynn summoned paramedics, know what had happened. "He sleeps so soundly and I knew he'd be worried and wonder where I was when he awoke," said Lynn. Gagel called another NSV member who lived near the Lawsons and asked her to go to the house and wait for Court to awaken. And this was just the beginning of the many connections NSV made for the Lawsons.Gagel also called the emergency contact Lynn had listed on her member information form. He went to the hospital and relayed information about Lynn's status back to NSV and Court Lawson. A worried Lynn Lawson told Gagel of her husband's food allergies; that information was shared with NSV volunteers who brought meals to Court while Lynn was in the hospital. Lynn Lawson spent three days in the hospital and when it was time for her to be discharged, Gagel was there to help her with the selection process for at-home care. She also formed an unofficial "care committee" of Village members and volunteers, who could assist the Lawsons until life returned to normal. Meals were brought in, assistance with shopping was provided, and volunteer drivers took Lynn to her medical appointments. And when the Lawson's garbage cans needed to be set out for trash collection, Tommi Ferguson, NSV's member services coordinator, who lives nearby, handled it.
By connecting friendships, volunteers and professional referrals in one smooth operation, North Shore Village provided a much-needed sense of security to the Lawsons during a difficult time.
"They did so much for me and my husband," Lynn said. "It means so much to know the Village is there to help in all sorts of ways. It's a feeling of solidarity."
In May, North Shore Village members will have yet another way of connecting via North Shore Village's new web portal. Developed by Serality, a Boston-based company, the portal deepens member-to-member connections with message boards; an online link for service requests; events calendar; and micro-sites for committees and social groups. There's even a Village Store, where members can shop with Amazon.com, which will return a percentage of all purchases to the nonprofit. Other e-commerce and fundraising opportunities will be added in the future.
"Our mission is to establish and nurture a personalized community of connections and mutuality among our members, our volunteers, and our vetted service providers. We bring every available resource to bear on this goal," Gagel says. "These resources may take the form of programs that our members create—such as a recent program on selecting the appropriate caregiver—to creating our web portal. It's this community of connections that distinguishes North Shore Village and helps our members realize their goal of remaining in their own homes as long as possible."
About North Shore Village: North Shore Village is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. It is supported by membership dues, donations, and a partnership with Mather LifeWays through its Community Initiatives program. For information about joining North Shore Village, contact Helen Gagel at 847.721.1413 or send an e-mail.
About Serality: Serality provides community-management software and private online communities for organizations whose missions include serving older adults. Serality's community-of-communities provides a forum for community leaders to exchange information, form working groups to accomplish specific tasks, and combine their economic and political influence to effect change. For more information visit www.serality.com
