Mathews Village
A concept for consideration and discussion
Some Options for Aging in Place
A “village”
Bay Aging’s Home Care program
Riverside’s Choose Home program
Some combination of these
Example – Colonial Beach Village
 Roughly 50-member all-volunteer village
 Seven-member board sets policies
 Operation is built around a free software package – “Lotsa Helping
Hands”
 Board member receive service requests and find volunteers to fulfill
requests
 Dues are $50 per person/$75 per family
Colonial Beach Village Services
 Help with hospital or nursing to home transition
 Transportation for appointments and shopping
 Assistance with computers and electronics
 Light handyman tasks
 Paperwork assistance – balancing checkbook, paying bills, etc.
 Daily phone check-in
 Social gatherings – informational talks, games, etc.
 Facilitate sharing of medical equipment
 Caregiver relief on occasion
 Meals when sick
 Referrals to contractors and supervision of contractors
 Arranging in-home care
 Pet care
Some Policies of the CBV
 Not a social service agency
 Organized to take care of its members
 Members are expected to volunteer, if able
 Volunteers need not be members
 Provision for waiving dues if necessary
Options beyond village-level care
 Bay Aging’s Home Care program offers many services on a $18/hr,
2-hr minimum basis: private duty aide/nurse, dementia care,
caregiver education, hospital to home transition help, personal
care, med reminders & pickup, hip/knee replacement care, stroke
help, cardiac care, transportation, supervise home deliveries &
maintenance, companionship, diabetes management, fall
prevention, depression support, multiple conditions care, meal
preparation and eating assistance, light housekeeping & laundry
 Program is run by RNs; free health assessment on joining; free to join
P.A.C.E. Programs (Program of AllInclusive Care for the Elderly)
Riverside’s Choose Home program is a PACE program
Has similar services to Bay Aging’s Home Care program at
the lowest of four levels; at the top level it includes a
“continuum of care” that includes everything from home
care through nursing care
Costs depend on level, are federally subsidized, and are
less than the cost typically associated with entering a
retirement center, but more than Bay Aging’s Home Care
Economics – Risk vs. Cost
 Lowest cost/highest risk - a village supplemented by Bay Aging’s
Home Care and self-paid nursing care if necessary
 Moderate cost and risk – a PACE lower level plan
 Higher cost and lower risk – a PACE top level plan
 Highest cost/lowest risk – enter a guaranteed care retirement
center while you can still get in
Model for a Mathews Village
 The Mathews Village (MV) would be incorporated in Virginia and
obtain exemption from federal and state taxes as a 501(c)(3)
charitable corporation
 The articles of corporation and by-laws can be adapted from the
village kit we purchased
 The MV would have a self-perpetuating board of seven: president,
vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and three others
 MV members are non-voting
Membership
 MV membership is open to any resident of the County of Mathews
 Annual dues will depend on number of members
 Provision will be made for those who cannot afford to pay the dues
Operation of the Mathews Village
 A part-time staff person will receive requests for services and recruit
and assign volunteers to conduct services
 Operations will be built around the software calendar “Lotsa
Helping Hands”
 Services are conducted by volunteers
 All members are expected to volunteer, if able
 Volunteers need not be members
Mathews Village Services
 Help transitioning to home from hospital or nursing care
 Transportation to appointments and shopping
 Assistance with computers and electronics
 Light handyman tasks
 Help with paperwork
 Phone check-ins on some appropriate schedule
 Meetings with informational talks, social events
 Facilitate sharing of medical equipment
 Caregiver relief on occasion
 Meals when sick
 Help in arranging for home nursing care
 Pet care
 Reminders of senior events (TRIAD, etc.)
 Referrals to contractors and supervision of contractor work
Comments on Some Reactions to the
Village Concept
 My children will take care of me
 My church will take care of me
 I have all those services in place already
 Liability is too high for village to bear
My children will take care of me
This can work if the children live in close proximity
If the children live far away, a move might be required
If the children are at a moderate distance, they might
appreciate some help
The children must be willing
My church (friends) will take care of me.
 Not everyone is a member of a church
 Churches do well with crisis care; constant minor care might not be
forthcoming
 Do you want to depend on friends for continual favors?
 Are your friends in need of services themselves?
Liability is too high
There are ~ 150 villages operating successfully in the U.S.
Liability insurance is a major expense ($1000 annually for
the Colonial Beach Village of about 50 members)
This is an important concern, but manageable
Summary Questions
 What would you change in the strawman concept for a Mathews
Village presented here?
 Do you think Mathews can support a village?
 Would you join a Mathews Village were it to be organized?
 What would you be willing to pay each year for membership?