The New Idea in Elder Care: Membership

By JILL BURCUM, Star Tribune

June 22, 2008

Pudge Christian has to be one of the most energetic Lilydale boosters around. The 79-year-old mother of four daughters barely stops to take a breath as she praises her small, southeast-suburban enclave: friendly neighbors, well-kept houses, trees, convenient access to Minneapolis and St. Paul.

So it makes sense that Christian is helping to organize a pioneering program aimed at helping the area's seniors stay in the community as long as possible. At a time when so much of the nation's debate about its aging population focuses on paying for care, Christian and the program's boosters are asking an equally important but often overlooked question: How do we keep seniors out of expensive care facilities?

Their answer is River Bluffs Village, something that sounds like yet another elderly housing project. Instead, it's a private, virtual retirement community intended to bring the best of traditional facilities -- the ready network of caregivers and social activities -- to those who choose to do what most seniors ultimately want: stay in their own homes.

"This is a nice community, which is why many want to stay right where they are and continue to do as they have done. But they are recognizing that eventually they won't be able to drive or take care of the chores of having a home,'' Christian said.

Right now, River Bluffs is still in the exploratory stages as Christian and DARTS, a well-known Dakota County service agency, gauge community interest and detail how it would work. But both here and across the nation, similar efforts are rapidly ramping up. In the Twin Cities, another virtual retirement community known as Mill City Commons, which involves condo owners clustered near the Guthrie Theater, is closer to launch and may start marketing annual memberships this fall (cost: $750 to $950), with operations beginning in 2009.

The grass-roots group has a partnership with with Ecumen, a local senior housing and services nonprofit interested in the project not only as a new model of care, but also because its aging baby boomer executives want to offer clients the kind of care options they'd want as they get older.

So far, the community response has been strong. Marcia K. Townley, a 68-year-old condo owner who chairs the Mill City volunteer board, believes the interest stems from her generation's own experience watching parents age, seeing the lack of choices and being unafraid to demand more as consumers of care.

Both Mill City and the River Bluffs proposal are based on what's known as the Beacon Hill Village model. Launched six years ago in Boston's toniest neighborhood, the idea underlying the Beacon Hill Village is that membership has its privileges. Those who belong to the "village" continue to live in the area's beautiful homes. But their annual membership in the organization -- which costs $600 for an individual-- provides concierge-style services to meet a variety of needs, from rides to the grocery store to meal service to in-home care to house cleaning. For many of these services, there are additional charges beyond the membership. What membership provides is access to vetted service providers and the ease of making just one phone call to arrange them.

Equally important is the social network that Beacon Hill provides. Members have access to educational seminars and arranged outings to cultural events or restaurants. That's something that both River Bluffs and Mill City intend to duplicate here with trips to the Guthrie, for example, or book clubs. Mill City is even exploring its own version of Facebook, the popular online social-networking site.

The value of access to services and social gatherings has benefits for both members and their kids, especially those whose children do not live close by, Christian said. "This is one of the most important reasons I'm working on this. It helps the parents feel more independent. ... And it helps reassure the kids that parents are being provided for.''

There are still bugs to be worked out as the Beacon Hill model takes hold here and elsewhere. Right now, tryouts have been limited to affluent urban communities. And there are still questions about whether memberships can sustain operations without donations or grants.

But the numbers we face as a society dictate new approaches. By 2020, those 65 and up will comprise 16 percent of the population. By 2050, that will rise to nearly 21 percent. The Beacon Hill model is a promising new option. More are sure to come as the current group of seniors wields its economic and demographic might, ensuring that generations that follow have the choices they need -- and deserve.