Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123
I think some posters are missing the point of this thread. There are people living in The Villages who may be healthy, wealthy, and very happy, but they are alone and are trying to figure out what will they do when they get sick, and have no one to take them to the doctor or to handle their finances, or help them move to assisted living or to a nursing home. They really don't care about having an occasional meal or someone to talk to for a few hours. It is much more serious than that. How do you plan for the inevitable when you have no family and not very many close friends? This is a huge gap in the elder care system that needs a solution.
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Several of our Villages have already set up a Caring Neighbors organization, ours has.
My Village has a group:
"Caring Neighbors has launched! We have 17 volunteers who have all been background-checked by the United Way of Lake and Sumter County. We are ready to help our neighbors who need help with things like transportation to doctor appointments and shopping, short-term meals, home visits or a phone buddy, and non-medical respite so that a caregiver can take a break. Please call us at 352-255-3304 if you or someone you know in xxxx could use our services. If you live in xxxxxx and are interested in joining us as a volunteer, contact xxxx."
These groups are already forming in other Villages with the help of the United Way. Unfortunately this information does not get out, or does, but only to the Village in question. I contacted the VHA and was told by them that they do not want to get into this and it should be handled by the Villages themselves. BUT, there should be information available for all residents.
My personal feeling is that if you are indeed an "orphan" you need to have an elder attorney to handle your affairs and to help when needed. There are numerous programs both governmental and private available.