BOSTON, MASSACHUCETTS, USA, February 9, 2006: (HPI note: This article describes a nonprofit organization set up to care for the elderly of a Boston neighborhood in their own homes. It could provide a pattern for Hindu communities in the West who who want to avoid placing the elderly in special care homes.)
Alone in his row house on Beacon Hill, with four precipitous flights of stairs and icy cobblestones outside the front door, John Sears, 75, still managed to look after himself after he was hit by a taxicab and left with a broken knee. That is because Mr. Sears was one phone call away from everything he needed to remain in his home, the goal of more than 80 percent of the nation’s elderly as they confront advancing age, according to consistent polls. Mr. Sears required both practical assistance and peace of mind: Transportation to and from the hospital. An advocate with him at medical appointments. Home-delivered meals from favorite restaurants. Someone at his side as he hobbled to the bank and the barber. Someone else to install grab bars in his bathroom. A way to summon help in an emergency. People to look in on him. All these services were organized for Mr. Sears by Beacon Hill Village, an innovative nonprofit organization created by and for local residents determined to grow old in familiar surroundings, and to make that possible for others. Community-based models for aging in place designed by the people who use them are the wave of the future, experts say, an alternative to nursing homes and assisted living centers run by large service providers. For the rest of this informative article, click “source” above.