Lancaster Downtowners: A Creative Approach to Aging at Home The Red Wagon Estate Planning & Elder Law Show

Today, many seniors live longer—often farther away from family—and want to avoid continuing care retirement communities (CCRC). They’d rather age at home in familiar surroundings. But, aging at home usually requires some degree of assistance, which can be difficult to find.
Jeff’s guest, Melissa Ressler, is the executive director of Lancaster Downtowners, a special and creative membership-based group that enables seniors to age at home.  
Learn more at www.lancasterdowntowners.org or follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/lancasterdowntowners/. You can reach Melissa directly at (717) 584-1224. 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
(00:00) Podcast introduction. 
(02:04) Dependent largely on volunteers, Lancaster Downtowners is a village model nonprofit—one of over 300 across the country—that makes it possible for people to age at home in their community.  
(02:58) Many members live in an apartment or condo, but others live a little farther out and some even have a bit of land. 
(03:43) Instead of providing the range of services you’d get in CCRC, a village provides social connections and support with everyday tasks.  
(03:56) Lancaster Downtowners offers three types of help. Social connections: events, support groups, walking groups, etc. “Just One Call” program: transportation, technology assistance, etc. Home and life maintenance: yardwork, snow shoveling, medical notetaking, etc.  
(07:18) There are about eight villages in Pennsylvania. The newest one serves York County.
(07:51) Membership fees are tiered based on income. Dues range from $0 to $15 per month.  
(08:17) Call or fill out an application on the website to see if membership makes sense for you. For some needs, the team will connect you with other service providers (e.g., Meals on Wheels) to help you thrive at home.  
(10:58) The service provider directory includes only those recommended by other members.  
(12:04) Some members have given up their vehicles. Weekly grocery shopping trips, medical appointments, and all kinds of errands are manageable with volunteer drivers.  
(18:42) The Lancaster Downtowners serves all of Lancaster County with a concentration in metro Lancaster. 
 
ABOUT BELLOMO & ASSOCIATES
Jeffrey R. Bellomo, the founder of Bellomo & Associates, is a licensed and certified elder law attorney with a master’s degree in taxation and a certificate in estate planning. He explains complex legal and financial topics in easy-to-understand language.
Bellomo & Associates is committed to providing education so that what happened to the Bellomo family doesn’t happen to your family. We conduct free workshops on estate planning, crisis planning, Medicaid planning, special needs planning, probate administration, and trust administration. Visit our website (https://bellomoassociates.com/) to learn more.
 
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