Town of Poughkeepsie resident Evangeline Reilly loves living at home and doesn’t see why she should have to give it up just because she is a 75-year-old widow.
“Everything I care about is here,” said Reilly. “I couldn’t possibly leave.”
She also values the diversity of her neighborhood and doesn’t want to live exclusively among seniors in a retirement community or nursing home. “One needs the stimulation and the input from someone at a different age level,” said Reilly. Moving to a senior facility has crossed her mind on occasion – “You think about it. Of course, everyone thinks about it,” she said – but it’s a prospect she’d rather avoid.
Around the nation, a grassroots movement of likeminded seniors is searching for ways to make staying at home a viable option, giving those who shun assisted living another choice.
Publicity for a nascent group in Poughkeepsie called Hudson Valley Home Matters has spread by word-of-mouth so far, and already about 40 people have attended two meetings. But organizers expect interest to surge: many seniors want to continue living at home, and ideally, it should be an opportunity for all, they say.
“Our goal is that this should be an option for everyone in whole Hudson Valley area – that they could, if they wanted to, stay in their homes,” said Alice Bunnell, a Town of Poughkeepsie resident and one of the group’s organizers.
Boston’s Beacon Hill Village pioneered the concept six years ago, and according to a recent New York Times article, similar groups are springing up in Washington, D.C.; Cambridge, Mass.; New Canaan, Conn., Palo Alto, Calif. and Bronxville.
Poughkeepsie resident Cope Craven brought the concept to the Hudson Valley. Craven is the sister of Susan McWhinney-Morse, one of the principal organizer’s of Beacon Hill Village and the guest speaker at an Oct. 18 meeting of Home Matters. “This is something that’s really sweeping the country,” said Craven.
Organizers have just begun their efforts to incorporate as a legal not-for-profit, and they anticipate launching Home Matters in late 2008 or 2009. Fees have not yet been determined, and they vary greatly among other groups – in Boston, individuals pay $580 per year and couples pay $780. In New Canaan, members pay substantially less – $360 to $480.
For the price of membership, seniors dial a single phone number and obtain referrals for many different services that have been tried, tested and approved by their peers – everything from house repairs to transportation and meals. They also get access to social activities like lectures and trips. For low-income seniors, Home Matters organizers envision scholarships and fundraising efforts to defray cost. The nonprofit organization would employ one or more professionals to maintain the list of service providers and answer phones, while also tracking feedback.
Debating the costs
Although paying for help around the house is not cheap, assisted living is typically more expensive. Vassar Warner Senior Residence in Poughkeepsie charges $2,800 per month for basic room and board, according to its Web site. Packages for additional services cost $350 to $650 per month, and depending on need, include medication management, grooming assistance, reminders and motoring of blood glucose or vital signs.
Organizers are quick to differentiate Home Matters from assisted living: the group will not provide medical care – only referrals to providers.
But why pay for referrals when you could simply pick up the phonebook? Is the cost of a concierge service really worth it?
“Absolutely,” said Reilly. “For the first time in my life now, because I live alone, I feel considerably more vulnerable to strangers coming into my house. This would give me great confidence,” she said.
Other groups already offer rides to doctors’ offices, but Craven emphasized that social gatherings, like a bridge game or a trip to Bard College to take in a musical performance, set Home Matters apart. “There’s a lot more to life than going to the doctor’s office or the drugstore,” said Craven.Visions of mandatory bingo games turn many off from assisted living, but the philosophy of choice and control is what appeals with Home Matters: “The services that you want, you get,” said Craven.
Questionnaires distributed at an Oct. 18 meeting (after press time) polled interested seniors on the services most important to them, from health and home assistance to educational, physical and social activities.
Reilly said transportation was one of her top priorities. “(The Town of Poughkeepsie) is not an easy town to get around in,” she said. “There’s an absence of neighborhood facilities like grocery stores.” She has a son in the area, but she said that if she were to become injured suddenly – breaking a hip, for example – she doesn’t want to become a burden. “The last thing in the world I want to do is to say, ‘Come and feed me,’ that kind of thing. I really want to maintain my independence,” said Reilly.
While it may take some time to work out the logistics, organizers are devoted to seeing Home Matters through to fruition. “All of us are very deeply committed to making this program work,” said Reilly. “Rather than just jumping into it, we’ll take extra time to check out other programs in other communities to do absolutely the best we can.”
For more information on Hudson Valley Home Matters, call Cope Craven at 454-1642.