Development Note #9
I recently asked a couple I know who, like me, are retired, “Do you guys talk about aging?” The topic had been on my mind, and not for no reason. I expected to hear something like, “Sure, sometimes we do.” Instead, they said, “That’s all we talk about!”
I’m guessing we’re not alone in this obsession. For many people, especially as they move into retirement, the questions grow more pressing: What will my life be like as I age… until I can’t age anymore? How will I manage the basics—finances, cooking, healthcare—if they become difficult or even impossible to handle alone? Any one of us may need help with everyday tasks, such as paying bills, managing medication, scheduling appointments, getting groceries, or preparing meals. And then there’s the silent challenge of social isolation, something that can hit us harder after retirement and as we lose friends to aging.
Finding ways to manage these realities into and through old age is as important as it is daunting. At present, there is little in the way of coordinated federal help for aging in place. States vary widely in their support, and only a handful of organizations are devoted specifically to this issue. That’s a sad truth.
Congress passed the Older Americans Act (OAA) in 1965, requiring each state to submit a State Plan on Aging. While these plans cover a range of topics, they don’t mandate specific actions, leaving each state to interpret its responsibilities. The federal government does sponsor programs through the Administration for Community Living (ACL), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The National Council on Aging (NCOA), funded by the ACL, “delivers the resources, tools, best practices, and advocacy our nation needs to ensure that every person can age with health and economic well-being.” The ACL also maintains directories like the Aging and Disability Networks, and HHS runs Eldercare Locator, a database linking users to agencies focused on aging.
Yet most listings in Eldercare Locator are large agencies—useful perhaps to other large, specialized organizations, but often out of touch with smaller, locally based groups that connect with individuals. And that can be a problem: while the information exists, locating and piecing together what you actually need can be beyond the ability—or energy level—of many older adults. Which raises the question: Who exactly are these services designed for? Large organizations can point the way, but navigating them often requires persistence and digital literacy many seniors lack.
Confusion is everywhere. Businesses and nonprofits alike have noticed how difficult it can be to navigate this landscape. Useful resources exist, but for many older adults, more information doesn’t necessarily mean better information. When it comes to sorting through the vast online marketplace of “helpful” aging content, it’s a jungle out there.
Take aginginplace.org, for example. The name sounds ideal, even altruistic, yet the site is owned by a for-profit company, Pillar4 Media. Despite its .org extension, it’s a business. While the information is free, clicks generate revenue. That’s not inherently bad—after all, even nonprofits like AARP must generate income—but a nonprofit structure at least signals that public benefit comes before profit.
As America’s population ages, finding credible, accessible assistance for daily living will only become more urgent. AARP, one of the largest nonprofits serving older adults, offers guides and checklists for aging in place, along with a range of services and advocacy initiatives. But large, national organizations can only do so much.
Increasingly, small, community-based programs are filling the gaps. In my own village, a volunteer-run nonprofit delivers meals to homebound residents and provides free rides to medical appointments. No fees. No red tape. Just neighbors helping neighbors. One organization helping communities replicate this model is the Village to Village Network (VtVN). As they put it: “Villages are community-based, nonprofit, grassroots organizations formed through a cadre of caring neighbors who want to change the paradigm of aging.” The Network supplies information, templates, and peer connections to help people start their own local “villages.”
Each VtVN group is unique and independent, offering different services depending on community needs. Membership fees vary—from around $25 to a few hundred dollars annually—depending on the level of support (all are nonprofits). But the real value of the model isn’t the low fees for service; it’s the spirit of locally-based aid.
In the U.S., managing the realities of aging largely falls to the individual, which can be overwhelming and confusing. This is why collective action—neighbors organizing for neighbors—may be the most powerful tool we have. Organizations like AARP, NCOA, and VtVN provide structure and support, but the real work happens locally. Aging in place is, in truth, aging management—a process that involves financial planning, health coordination, daily living support, and social connection. Local communities hold the raw materials to make this possible—people and material resources—the challenge is to connect these in useful ways.
Small, local groups are often best positioned to weave these connections together—helping residents not only remain in their homes but remain part of the community fabric. Because successful aging isn’t just about surviving longer. It’s about staying connected, useful, and known. If aging is inevitable, isolation doesn’t have to be. The solution starts with us—right where we live.