From Debbie Smith - Meeting Minutes of Oct 28

At our meeting Oct. 28, we worked toward a sense of purpose for our group. The following points won broad consensus, and may evolve into a mission statement:

1) We are creating a community for mutual support.
2) We are a forum to exchange information on aging and related issues.
3) The group can help us each think about aging.
4) The blog is a way to share, keep and retrieve information.
5) Group members can vet service providers for each other--sharing referrals and experience with plumbers, home health care aides, etc. etc.
6) We may be able to save money through shared services or group purchases.
7) The group can help its members remain as independent as possible.

Btw, a question was raised about whether members have a level of commitment to the group, for example to check up on each other after hospital visits, etc. We obviously have plenty more to discuss, and I look forward to hearing from some of our visiting experts. --Debbie

Testing email delivery of blog

Nelson,
I'm testing Feedblitz's email delivery to see whether it works. One problem that I just had with posting is that I could not create a post from the comments page. Can you insert a link from the view/comments page to the create a new post page?

I'll let you know whether Feedblitz works.
Marilynne

A Grass-Roots Effort to Grow Old at Home - New York Times

A number of members have pointed out today's NYTimes article on DC area groups devoted to aging in place. See the attached link. We are not alone.

Apparently, many of the groups have adopted the lexicon of Capitol Hill Village, naming themselves "xxx Village". That would make us something like Bethesda Chevy Chase Village. I personally don't like the Village metaphor -- too cutesy and/or politically correct (it takes a village!) or area-bound. But let's get some discussion going about our name as well as our mission. We have colleagues in other parts of town with whom we can discuss as well.


A Grass-Roots Effort to Grow Old at Home - New York Times

Longevity Annuity: A tool to insure that you don't outlast your money

Here's a link to an interesting article (Live Long and Prosper) in Sunday's Washington Post business section. It is about a longevity annuity that pays out at a certain (old age). It is cheaper than traditional annuities, because they are counting on you not living long enough to collect. But the advantage--for those of us worried about outliving our money--is that it can begin paying out at the age you anticipate running out of your savings. For instance, if you calculate that you have enough money to live until you are 80, you can have the annuity begin paying out at 80. It then pays till you die.
Marilynne

Organizational Meeting of DC Boomers

Meeting Notes

Organizational Meeting of the DC Boomers Mutual Aid Society

Sunday, August 5, 2007

The initial organizational meeting of the Society, featuring a pot luck dinner, was held at the home of Barbara and Nelson Rosenbaum on Sunday, August 5, 2007 at 7:00 P.M. In attendance were the following couples and individuals:

Roberta and Doug Colton

Claire and David Maklan
Margaret and Joe Chachkin

Christine and Marshall Becker

Suzan and Ron Wynne

Marilynne Rudick and Bob Sher

Nelson and Barbara Rosenbaum

Corinne and Dan Szabo

Debbie Smith

Jerry Holiber

Sam Bleicher

Barbara led off by discussing similar societies and groups that have recently formed in communities such as Capitol Hill, Boston, and Princeton, NJ. She identified the central purpose of these groups as providing mutual aid and information to assist members to “age in place” successfully. The groups vary in structure and formality, but all feature the commitment of members to assist other members with activities and issues related to aging and disability. Barbara emphasized that the inaugural meeting was designed to simply elicit ideas and interest rather than to immediately establish a formal organization. She then called for open discussion among those present on possible priorities and programs for the Society.

The major themes concerning aging in place that arose from the discussion were as follows:

1. Many in the group feel that they cannot “count on” their children to provide adequate support as they age. This may stem from the remote location of children or the demands on their children posed by career and home life. There was a lively discussion about the obligations of children.

2. Several attendees emphasized the need to plan in detail for the challenges of aging. A number of couples and individuals have bought long term care insurance as one aspect of their financial planning. Others have prepared living trusts and advance directives. But all emphasized that these planning elements are largely “defensive” against potential crises. They do not substitute for adequate community-based support for aging in place.

3. Most expressed their desire to continue living in their current living spaces as they age.

4. The loss of driving, either by losing one’s license or having children take away the car/insurance, is often the inflection point that precipitates a move out of the home and into a facility. The spouse or children may be able to make up for the loss of driving at least temporarily, but over the longer term, it is usually the critical factor in a change of residence/life style.

5. Social activities and emotional support to combat the isolation and loneliness of aging may be just as important a function of the proposed Society as more concrete assistance.

Following the general discussion, Barbara turned the meeting to the topic of possible “models” or organizational forms for the proposed Society. Attendees identified a number of potential options, ranging from 1) a formal service organization with dues and structure such as Capital Village on Capital Hill, b) a more informal mutual aid group such as the Chevy Chase baby-sitting coop with which many of the attendees were familiar, c) an information-sharing group based upon a participant blog of experiences and resources as well as links to formal resources such as Area Agencies on Aging, d) a collection of interest groups in areas such as travel, exercise, music, etc., e) a cooperative local living space with shared real estate ownership. Numerous participants pointed out that such organizational models are not mutually exclusive and that the Society would grow and evolve over time as its member’s needs changed.

In closing the meeting, Barbara proposed the formation of a working committee to formulate more concrete proposals and plans for the Society. However, it was the consensus of the group that the formation of a committee was premature. Instead, the group agreed that it would be valuable to have at least one more informal organizational meeting to share ideas as well as to expand the potential membership of the Society. Sue Wynne, a geriatric care manager, was asked to present her perspective on the factors to consider at a future meeting. Nelson agreed to write up the initial minutes of the meeting as reporter and to create a provisional name for the Society and an organizational blog. The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.