Villages of San Mateo County
How the Village Movement Is Making Graceful Aging in Place Possible
What if the caring support of your community made the decision to age in place easier? When seniors live alone in their homes, they can become isolated, especially when they cannot drive. Loneliness sets in when friends and family pass away, and there are limited opportunities to foster new relationships. San Mateo County recently declared isolation and loneliness a crisis for our aging population.
The Villages of San Mateo County (VSMC), a membership network of three regional communities of seniors and volunteers, provides a holistic solution to this crisis. VSMC Executive Director Sue Eldredge says, “Our focus is creating community for aging adults in San Mateo County. We are reimagining within our community how aging adults can move through life’s transition.”
The Village concept is a nationwide strategy with three hundred villages throughout the country to support seniors locally. It is embraced by California’s Master Plan for Aging. VSMC breaks down into three service areas: Village of the Coastside, Mid-Peninsula Village, and Sequoia Village which includes San Carlos. Since VSMC’s founding in 2015, 643 seniors have been served, and 288 members are currently receiving support.
The Community Foundation of San Carlos grants support VSMC’s mission to help seniors gracefully age in place. The Foundation’s three grants given in 2021, 2022, and 2023 total $24,000 and have helped fund the organization’s staffing and operational needs to serve local seniors.
Members get to connect with each other and the community at a variety of events. “As our community is aging, they join our village community. There are many opportunities to come together for meals, happy hours, and excursions,” says Eldredge. Education sessions raise important topics like how to avoid scams and health topics like dementia and fall prevention. On the fun side of things, members gather for walks, coffee connects, and afternoon music and wine. Social connections and friendships flourish during these outings.
The personal and social impact the villages have on seniors ranges widely for each member, and for some, it’s nothing short of a lifeline. When VSMC member Julie lost her husband, her world shrank, and she wasn’t getting out of the house anymore. Her daughters encouraged her to try a Villages event, and now she gets a ride to almost every event. “The Villages have made a wonderful difference in my psyche–I am no longer alone. I have a positive attitude!” Julie says.
In addition to the social aspect, members also receive home maintenance benefits to continue to live comfortably and safely at home. A new Village member found herself house-rich and cash-poor. She says, “I grew up in the house that I still live in. Because of the income level and inflated property values in this area, many people assume I am well-off and can afford a Bay Area cost of living, but I live alone at the poverty level.” She also suffers from health issues and doesn’t have retirement income. VSMC waived the cost of her membership. Discounted memberships are available for low-income seniors to eliminate financial barriers to joining the community and receiving the support they need to live at home.
Community volunteers, usually retirees themselves, provide rides for homebound seniors, helping them get to medical appointments, run errands, and attend social events. Volunteers also help seniors function at home with an eye on home safety evaluations, ongoing home maintenance and repairs, and getting set up with technology. Many VSMC volunteers are social members who eventually become full members as they age.
The number of volunteers matches the number of members. This one-to-one ratio allows volunteers to provide individualized “door to door” service, evidenced through the 310 car rides they give a month—helping seniors from their home to the car, and from the car and safely inside the drop-off location. In 2023, volunteers logged an impressive 14,000 hours of service. Eldredge calls this “An incredibly cost-effective, community-driven approach to meeting the needs of aging adults.”
VSMC partners with several local organizations to share resources with its members. They partner with two other Community Foundation of San Carlos grantees, Medical Equipment Loan Program (MELP) and Each Green Corner. VSMC founded MELP with the San Carlos Rotary Club and the Belmont and Redwood Shores Rotary Club to lend out used durable medical equipment. Village members contribute to the program and use its resources. A few Village members have backyard gardens that Each Green Corner helps support alongside VSMC volunteers who maintain and harvest the produce, sharing excess fruits and veggies with Second Harvest food bank.
If you or a loved one want to learn more about the Villages of San Mateo County’s services for elderly adults, visit their website. Check the website for information on open volunteer positions, from giving rides to helping organize an event for local seniors.
$9,000 to enable seniors to "age in place" by offering transportation, social gatherings, and home safety via modifications; funding will be used to expand membership, recruit volunteers, and for strategic planning. (Fall 2023)
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$10,000 granted on 11/9/2022 enabling seniors to age in place. (Fall 2022)
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$5,000 granted on 11/26/2021 to provide $3K in support of senior gardens in partnership with Each Green Corner and $2K for BRS Convalescent Aid. (Fall 2021)