By Lois Requist

Recently, I attended the Northern California launch of Village Movement California. It was exciting to see and hear what is going on statewide. If you’ve followed the Village Movement, you may know that it started in Boston in 2001 and has spread across the country since. There are over 200 “virtual” villages now. It’s not surprising that California has quite a number of these villages and others are starting, nor is it startlingly to find that California village leaders began to think about the advantages of having a statewide organization.
At the launch, we heard a lot about branding, something that used to be, and still is, done to cattle–stamping (burning) them with a name to show ownership. It’s the way companies, organizations, and ideas are planted in our mind. The village movement is still small and young. A recognizable brand would give us name recognition and more ability to get our message out to the public.
Village Movement California has developed a slogan.   Along with the name and a graphic are two words:  Aging. Better. The period after each word is purposeful.    Slow down and think about it. What does that slogan mean, exactly? What would it mean for you? What might the Carquinez Village do that would make your life better?    There isn’t one definition, of course.
A woman in Benicia is dying. Volunteers from Carquinez Village have been helping her do her laundry. The laundry room is downstairs, and she can’t climb the steps. Her neighbor and friend told us we had made a difference in that person’s life for the better. Great!
So, you may think, well, when I get to that point, I may need the village. Maybe you need it now. Not for a specific thing. You drive. You’re mobile. You’re fine. How can joining Carquinez Village help you live out the slogan “Aging. Better.”?
Village membership and involvement have enhanced my life. How? First, I have more information about the aging process, what may or may not happen, and what choices or decisions I might make to improve the rest of my life. What is the aging process? Well, it isn’t something that pops up one day and announces itself. It starts when we’re born and ends when we die. It usually isn’t all uphill to one point and all downhill from there. How can we affect that process?
We all know if we can’t walk or drive, we need help. We may be less aware of assistance we need in other ways–when things aren’t going so well, when depression, aimlessness or loneliness hit us. That’s when it helps to have other folks around to talk to or walk with. Being engaged with a network of family and friends makes us healthier and, probably, happier.
So, the second way the village has been good for me is that it has provided me with a stronger network, more actual ways to deal with a problem, more community to support and encourage me. I simply know more about the situation I’m in and how to cope with challenges, and I have more people to turn to in times of need. Isolation and loneliness are factors for many seniors that can have a debilitating effect on health. The village isn’t the only antidote for that, but it is one. We tend to take care of a broken arm more quickly than we do a broken heart or a sad one.
The third way the village has been good for me is that when I help others, I feel good about doing that. The volunteer gets as much as she or he gives. That’s good for my self-esteem. The fourth enhancement to my life is that I have fun with the village. There are things to do and others with whom to enjoy these experiences.   Does that sound trivial? It’s important to me. Need is subjective.
Communities, Benicia specifically, are better for having the Senior Center, the Community Action Council, Carquinez Village, and other things that make life better for our senior population and, thereby, for the whole population. Take a few minutes to think about this: “Aging. Better.” What does that look like for you?

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