Bainbridge Island needs a village approach | LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Published 12:42 pm Saturday, March 7, 2015

To the editor:

You thought it already had one — Winslow. The Island also boasts bustling Lynwood and charming Rolling Bay.

The village I’m writing about is the Village to Village model www.vtvnetwork.org.

Last Saturday the Bainbridge Island Senior and Community Center hosted a well-presented four-hour community discussion on creating our own village, an infrastructure that incorporates as a nonprofit to foster aging in place.

While every village is unique, commonalities usually include a single paid “go-to” person, who can give contact information for community resources, (such as Senior Information and Assistance, 1-800-562-6418), but also arrange home-delivered services, set up transportation and appointments, and broker vetted care providers and home maintenance.

Keynote speaker Ken Pyburn from Portland (where they already have nine) pointed out that it can be imprudent to have a volunteer plumber or electrician. But screened providers serving an organized community could provide discounted services in a consolidated area.

Prescient Waterfront Park Community Center Manager Sue Barrington has already bought us a URL. Check out the website at http://www.bivillage.org and call the senior center at 206-842-1616 to sign up to receive information about future meetings.

A Village to Village network is an important step toward keeping my boomer cohort out of nursing homes!

JEANNETTE FRANKS

Bainbridge Island