Resources
The following list of resources offer insights into key local sources of information, assistance and literature on aging issues and the efforts and challenges of villages
Mill Creek Village Resources
Mill Creek Village Brochure (11-16-23)
MCV’s Submission for the WAVE 2023 Founder’s Award
MCV 10th Anniversary Celebration of Volunteers Handout
Aging Issues Resources and Challenges of Villages Literature
U.S. Surgeon General Advisory Declares Loneliness A Major Public Health Threat (5-2-23)
Village People – DC Villages in Positive Aging Cover
Age-Friendly Montgomery Community for A Lifetime (12-2022)
MoCo County Council Briefing on Barriers to Transportation for Medical Appointments (9-2022)
2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregiver (9-2022)
Montgomery County Villages Collective Impact Report: FY 2021-2022
National Villages Hub and Spokes Report 2022
Ready of Not Program (Queen Anne’s at Home) – 2022
DC Villages. Member Survey 2021. Executive Summary
How Villages Rose to the Challenge of COVID (January 2022)
Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. April, 2022
Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, May 2021
The Advantages and Disadvantages of No and Low Dues Villages (May 2019)
Villages Research Update (October 2018)
Characteristics of Sustainable Villages (2017)
2016 National Survey of U.S. Villages (February 2017)
Stronger Memory Workbook | Goodwin Living Foundation (Revised 10/14/2022)
Online Resources:
AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment.
Dementia & Driving | Alzheimer’s Association
Driving requires the ability to react quickly to a variety of circumstances. Because of this, a person living with Alzheimer’s will, at some point, be unable to drive. Planning ahead can help ease the transition.
Hearing Loss Association of America
The mission of HLAA is to open the world of communication to people with hearing loss by providing information, education, support and advocacy.
Founded in 1979 by Howard E. “Rocky” Stone, the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) is the nation’s leading organization representing consumers with hearing loss. The programs and events we offer are designed to focus on you—the person. HLAA strives to give people the tools they need to live more successfully with hearing loss and to show them they do not have to face hearing loss alone.
JCA provides the programs and services that support older adults and their families and builds bridges across generations.
The Maryland Department of Aging helps establish Maryland as an attractive location for all older adults through vibrant communities and supportive services that offer the opportunity to live healthy and meaningful lives.
Montgomery County Caregiver Support Program e-Newsletter
Caregivers can review information online and sign up for a monthly e-Newsletter of resources and events.
Montgomery County Commission on Aging
The Commission identifies significant issues where its voice on the needs of seniors can make a difference. The COA supports both safety net services for the frail elderly and programs to meet the interests and needs of older adults who want to age in their communities.
Montgomery County Consumer Protection
Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection (“OCP”), we are the agency responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws (Chapter 11 of the County code) which prohibit unfair and deceptive business acts to ensure a fair marketplace for consumers and businesses.
Montgomery County Environmental Protection
The mission of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is to enhance the quality of life in our community by protecting and improving Montgomery County’s air, water, and land in a sustainable, innovative, inclusive, and industry-leading way while fostering smart growth, a thriving more sustainable economy and healthy communities.
Montgomery County Government Villages Coordination
Villages are a local, volunteer-led, grassroots organizations that aim to support community members who choose to age-in-place. They foster social connections through activities and events and coordinate volunteer help at home using neighbor helping neighbor model.
Montgomery County Office of Community Use of Public Facilities
The mission of the Office of Community Use of Public Facilities (CUPF) is to maximize the community’s use of schools and other public facilities and to identify and facilitate activities and programs that respond to the community’s needs without disrupting the instructional program of the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) or County operations.
Montgomery County Senior Services
This department is part of Montgomery County’s Aging and Disability Resource Unit that provides personalized hands on assistance, referrals to services and specific information to seniors, people with disabilities and caregivers over the phone and in person.
Local Senior Centers
Local senior centers offer a variety of activities to promote health and wellness. Here are a few in our area:
Benjamin Gaither Center
A membership to the Benjamin Gaither Center provides one-stop shop for those 55 years of age and older to exercise, socialize, travel, learn new things, meet new people, and most importantly have fun!
Rockville Senior Center
Rockville’s Senior Center is an active facility dedicated to serving those who are aged 60 and older within and around our community. We offer nutritious meals, educational classes and workshops, arts programs, fitness, counseling services and much more.
Montgomery County Seniors Today Cable Channel
COA Commissioner Katie Smith leads this show’s effort to share news and information of interest to senior residents of Montgomery County.
Montgomery County will be a community for a lifetime, a place for older adults to live safe, healthy and vital lives.
National Aging in Place Initiative
The National Aging in Place Council® is a senior support network that connects service providers with older homeowners, their families, and caretakers.
Phoenix Computers is dedicated to providing affordable computers to low income and disabled users. Our all-volunteer staff accepts donations in our North Bethesda workshop where we analyze the equipment and make repairs and upgrades to turn them into usable computers.
Positive Aging Community Resources
Since 1990 we have brought community together to make finding housing, aging in place solutions, and resources more convenient. We accomplish this by connecting older adults, families and providers via the most comprehensive and trusted resources in print and digital formats.
Senior Connection is a local non-profit that provides an array of free services to Montgomery County, MD, residents aged 60+. From transportation services to grocery shopping assistance, we proudly have helped our neighbors for over 20 years and counting.
Senior Connection does not charge for services and funded in part by Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging and Disability; private foundations; faith communities; corporations; and individuals, value and support our efforts.
Sibley Hospital Widowed Persons Outreach and Support
Widowed Persons Outreach (WPO) is a free community service and 501(c)3 that has been providing bereavement support to newly widowed persons in our community since 1992. While Sibley is not an affiliate of WPO, Sibley is a co-founder and has been a sponsor of WPO since its inception. WPO is a volunteer-led and run organization, men and women who have been widowed themselves, and are now helping newly widowed people through their grief in a variety of ways, including one-on-one help, support groups, social activities, educational events and a bimonthly newsletter.
WPO now holds grief and loss support meetings via zoom, adding some in-person social activities for those who feel ready to participate.
The Beacon’s Montgomery County Seniors Resource Guide
The 2023 edition of the Montgomery County Seniors’ Resource Guide, is an annual print publication of the Beacon Newspapers.
Travel for Seniors
Here are a few resources for planning your next trip, whether you are looking for a one-day local trip or a curated trip with a tour guide. These groups offer many great options for travelers!
Road Scholar is a senior travel tour company that emphasizes lifelong learning and educational travel for older travelers. Whether solo travelers or couples, Road Scholars are passionate lifelong learners, usually over the age of 50. Road Scholars want an in-depth learning experience about destinations, subjects and ideas that intrigue them!
SOAR “Senior Outdoor Adventures in Recreation” program
A Travel Program for Active Adults 55+. SOAR is Montgomery County Recreation’s “Senior Outdoor Adventures in Recreation” program; designed for active adults, ages 55+. You’ll rarely have a better time than one of the SOAR excursions to the performing arts, regional festivals, historic sites, guided tours, shopping venues and ballgames, among others.
Like Road Scholar, Smithsonian Journeys is a group travel company for seniors that focuses on educational travel. It offers specialized land journeys, active outdoor journeys, small ship cruises, and cultural stays.
Villages are a national movement that started in Beacon Hill, Massachusetts. A Village is a grass roots organization created for the purpose of providing older adults lifestyle choices that include their desire to continue to live in their own homes with independence and dignity. Montgomery County created the “Village Blueprint” to support communities within the county that desire to start a Village organization in their neighborhood. The Blueprint is a step‐by‐step guide for organizers about the process of initiating and developing a Village in their community.
Through its programs, services and resources, the national Village to Village Network empowers Villages in formation, energizes functioning Villages, serves as a Village commons to connect its members, and champions the Village model as a leading best practice for healthy and vibrant aging. Village members remain connected to their communities, with reduced isolation, increased independence and enhanced purpose of life.
Washington Area Villages Exchange (WAVE)
The Washington Area Villages Exchange (WAVE) brings together nonprofit villages in the wider Washington DC region to learn and grow by sharing experiences and ideas. These grass-roots, volunteer-driven villages embody the concept of neighbor helping neighbor to thrive at home and in their communities as they age. Through diverse educational programming and networking opportunities, WAVE strengthens and promotes developing and established villages and helps build momentum for the nationwide village movement. Encompassing villages in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia as well as Washington, DC, WAVE is the largest regional village organization in the nation.