Villages Designed to Help Seniors

This year celebrates the 20^th anniversary of the Village Movement.


The “Village” model of providing support to seniors in their own neighborhoods is a movement that is growing across the country. There are over 200 villages in the country, including seven in the Puget Sound area.

Neighborhood villages are community-based, nonprofit organizations that work to provide the support and resources seniors need to thrive in their own homes, in the neighborhoods they love.

Villages work to provide practical support services and programs, including scheduled activities, volunteers to help with transportation and help around the house, and referrals to pre-screened professional service providers.

Puget Sound area villages include three in Seattle, and one each in Edmonds, Bellevue, Vashon and Bellingham.

One of Seattle’s “villages” is NEST—North East Seattle Together. The success of the villages would not be possible without dedicated volunteers, and NEST’s May newsletter highlighted the work of three volunteers: Charlie, Gail and Tony.

• Charlie has put in over 850 hours volunteering for NEST, including driving people to appointments. He says the best part of volunteering is simply helping people.
• Gail has been a volunteer with NEST since 2016. She teaches a weekly Feldenkrais exercise class to help members increase flexibility and improve balance. Gail says her volunteer work gives her a sense of community.
• Tony has been a volunteer since 2015, driving members to appointments, helping around the house and making repairs. Tony loves learning more about his neighbors.

MORE INFORMATION

• For more information about the Village Movement, including a map of villages, visit www.vtvnetwork.org 
• For more information about NEST, visit www.nestseattle.org.

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