Manifesto

For most, the second half of life is viewed as anything but the best half. It is often seen as a time of senescence, decline and decay. While some societies revere elders, our western culture seems to value all things youthful. Wisdom, knowledge, and experience seem to count for very little, as our elders are at best marginalized, and at worst shut away and ignored.

Tom Brokaw’s Greatest Generation and the graying Boomer populations together constitute a vast repository of knowledge, wisdom, experience and wealth. Two –thirds of the wealth in this country is controlled by people aged fifty and older. And, well over 90% of people would age-in-place and die at home, if they could.

The Vital Village is dedicated to unleashing the latent power of this untapped repository to solve the problems of senior life—and so much more. Its mission is in fact to Maximize Life’s Second Half. It proposes to do that through a three-pillared model providing:

1. Maximum Autonomy—Including the tools and support necessary to live the second half of life the way one chooses.
2. Maximum Contribution—after a lifetime of living and learning, the ability to give something back in a meaningful way.
3. Maximum Vitality—the physical strength, financial resources, and social/spiritual/emotional support to make life’s second half the best half.
   

The Vital Village is a non-profit, consumer-owned cooperative which places the client in a member/owner role, and aligns everything we do to provide “deep support” to the client, rather the traditional business goal of “maximizing shareholder wealth.”

The Vital Village is designed as a literal and a virtual community. Member/owners can live safely and vibrantly in the community of their choosing, and in their own homes. We have a coaching program designed to assist member/owners with the tools and support they might need to accomplish their goals. We have an "in-home assisted living" concept bringing the best of home healthcare, hospice, meals, transportation, technological monitoring and community support services to enable our member/owners to truly age-in-place. We're developing a long-term care insurance to help member owners provide for the costs of receiving care at home, when they really need it. We have a cooperative housing concept in development that will enable retirees to live in the environment best suited to their needs, without depleting their assets, and while building equity in the housing model as member/owners.

We invite all who may share our vision and mission to join us in maximizing life’s second half.