Aging in Community: The Village Movement

Community Caregivers began in 1994 in the village of Altamont. The co-founders — Dr. Joel Edwards, Victor Ross, and Mary Therriault — were ahead of their time by creating an organization dedicated to “neighbors helping neighbors.”

With lots of caring and generous individuals, we have grown and flourished for the last 23 years. We like to say that Community Caregivers represents a “village” of caring neighbors. However, credit for starting the “Village Movement” nationally goes to Beacon Hill Village in Boston.

In case you are not familiar with the term, “villages” are membership-driven, grassroots not-for-profit organizations run by volunteers and/or paid staff that coordinate access to a variety of programs and services to help older adults stay in their own homes for as long as possible. The “Village Movement” began in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston in 2001 with Beacon Hill Village.

On Thursday, Sept. 14, the Albany Guardian Society will be hosting a daylong community forum entitled “Aging in Community: The Village Movement” at the Hearst Media Center in Albany. The forum includes national speakers on the Village Movement, including Susan McWhinney-Morse, co-founder of Beacon Hill Village.

The forum will include an overview of the future of aging in community, the origins of the Village Movement, the components of operating and developing a Village and presentations by six Villages on the unique programs and services they offer. The goals of the forum will be to provide information on incorporating and operating a Village, to review best practices, and to allow for networking opportunities.

The Sept. 14 forum will also serve to introduce the Capital Region Villages Collaborative, which is comprised of individuals, agencies, organizations, and Villages interested in forming, operating, and supporting Villages in the New York State Capital Region. Community Caregivers is an active partner with the Albany Guardian Society in launching the Capital Region Villages Collaborative.

Anyone who is interested may attend the forum, but space is limited and registration is required no later than Sept. 7. The time is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; registration begins at 8:15 a.m. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. The location is the Hearst Media Center, 645 Albany-Shaker Road, Albany, New York 12211, which is at the north end of Wolf Road in a new conference venue at the Times Union building.

You may register either by calling Albany Guardian Society’s registration phone line at (518) 269-3976  or by sending an email to the Albany Guardian Society at with your name, phone number, and email address. Please note “September 14 Village Forum” in the subject line.

Albany Guardian Society is one of the Capital District’s oldest not-for-profit charitable foundations. Founded in 1852, its mission is to engage in a wide range of endeavors including education, research, information, and community engagement that will improve the quality of life for seniors, family members, and their caregivers.

Community Caregivers Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that provides non-medical services including transportation and caregiver support at no charge to residents of Guilderland, Bethlehem, Altamont, New Scotland, Berne, Knox, and the city of Albany through a strong volunteer pool of dedicated individuals with a desire to assist their neighbors. Our funding is derived in part from the Albany County Department for Aging, the New York State Office for the Aging, and the United States Administration on Aging. To find out more about our services, as well as volunteer opportunities, please visit www.communitycaregivers.org or call us at (518) 456-2898.

Editor’s note: Linda Miller is the Outreach and Education coordinator for Community Caregivers Inc.