Avenidas Village Celebrates National Aging-in-Place Week and 10 Years of Service with a Party for Members and a Look Back at its History

(Palo Alto, CA, Oct. 3, 2017)  For the past 10 years, Avenidas Village, a program of the non-profit agency Avenidas, has helped hundreds of older adults on the mid-Peninsula stay in the homes that they love, and this milestone, along with National Aging in Place week, will be celebrated at a party for members on Sunday, October 8, 2017.

Launched in October of 2007, Avenidas Village was one of the nation’s first five Villages and the first of its kind on the West Coast. Now there are 70 Villages in California, 200 in the US and 150 more being developed. 

People join Avenidas Village for many reasons. Some have no family in the area and rely on Avenidas Village staff for assistance when needed, and others do have family nearby but don’t want to be a burden on them. Others join for the social aspect and to avoid loneliness and isolation. Still others appreciate the large vendor network and the “one-stop shopping” appeal of having one number to turn to for 24/7 support.

“Today, Avenidas Village is one of the largest, most sustainable Villages in the country and is looked at as a very successful model of what an aging-in-place program should be,” states Avenidas Village Director Vickie Epstein. “Members appreciate that we continue to offer new programs and services based on their suggestions, so the program is always growing and changing.”

The Avenidas Village program has averaged 400 members a year who attend a variety of lecture series, “Lunch Bunch” gatherings, trips to museums and neighborhood get-togethers. Many members appreciate receiving a friendly “Good Morning” call each day and others like having one reliable source to call for information and assistance.

Additionally, Avenidas Village maintains a network of over 200 vendors who are actively vetted and who provide members with discounts on their services. Assisting members with transportation is the number one service request received by Avenidas Village staff, and they first try to meet the need for a ride through a volunteer. A unique offering of Avenidas Village is to provide trained “Med-Pal” volunteers to go with members to their medical appointments, serving as a second set of eyes and ears and taking notes.

Over 150 members are expected to attend the 10^th anniversary party being held on Sunday, Oct. 8 from 4-7pm at Mitchell Park Community Center. One of the original founders of Avenidas Village, Tom Reese, and Lisa Hendrickson, the former CEO of Avenidas at the time the Village was developed, will recall how it all got started in Palo Alto and some of the road blocks and highlights along the way. There will be music and a dinner as well.

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