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October 2012
Serving the Lafayette Community Virtual Senior Village By Fran Miller
A trail ride is part of Mounted Patrol certification. Photo courtesy of EBRPD.
Volunteer Trail Patrols Put Safety First in East Bay Regional Parks By Jody Morgan Keeping multi-use trails safe throughout the 112,000 acres of the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is a daunting task. With 65 parks and only 60 sworn officers to supervise the more than 1,100 miles of trail open to the public, the 200 members of the Volunteer Trail Safety Patrols contribute significantly to ensuring the courteous sharing of this exceptional open space by park visitors. Volunteers currently serve on Mounted, Bicycle, Hiking and Companion Dog Patrols and may also qualify for Search and Rescue. Heather Gilfillan, EBRPD Volunteer Coordinator, meets with prospective volun-
Larry Fong on the Iron Horse Trail.
teers to assess their qualifications. A few are too interested in being enforcers, a role reserved for Park Police. Others lack the communication skills to turn an encounter with a visitor violating park rules into a cordial educational experience rather than a hostile confrontation. Some will not commit to remaining on patrol for at least a
See EBRPD continued on page 17 Local Postal Customer
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As the baby boomer generation ages, and as life expectancy continues to rise, the need for elder care options is more urgent than ever. In Lamorinda, nearly 20% of the population is over the age of 65, and most of these 10,000 residents would prefer to stay in their homes and age in place – a challenging aspiration often met with great difficulty. Surveys of local seniors have revealed a strong desire by most to continue to live an active healthy life without having to move away from longtime homes and neighborhoods. Being able to continue living amongst friends and younger families, with familiar amenities at hand, is the basis of the Lamorinda Village concept – a virtual “village” membership program that affords its participants the ability to continue living in their own homes while having access to a variety of vital resources. With just one phone call, members are linked to high quality services from trustworthy providers at reduced prices, and opportunities to participate in activities that enhance quality of life and sense of community are offered as well. The objective of the program is to help members delay or, if desired, avoid relocation to a retirement community while retaining their quality of life. A grass roots task force of 12 local citizens is currently researching the feasibility of such a program in the Lamorinda area. They have compiled a simple questionnaire which determines senior residents’ needs and desires. All residents, regardless of age, are invited to participate in the survey. The Village concept is based on the successful “Beacon Hill Village” in Boston, established in 2002. Today there are over 89 Villages in operation across the United States and over 150 in various stages of development. All are linked by the Village to Village Network, a national peer to peer network helping communities to establish and effectively manage their own virtual villages whether in large metropolitan areas, rural towns, or suburban settings. Villages operating in the Bay Area include Ashby Village in Berkeley, Avenidas Village in Palo Alto, San Francisco Village, and North Oakland Village. Most Villages are private nonprofit corporations founded and managed by minimal staff and volunteers who provide members with both the practical means and the confidence to live their lives to the fullest in their own homes as they grow older. Members pay an annual membership fee, and in return they are entitled to a number of activities and services free of charge. A Village’s offerings are determined by the Volume V I- Number 10 needs and desires of its members, yet 3000F DANVILLE BLVD #117 most issues fall into one of six major ALAMO, CA 94507 categories: daily living and home Telephone (925) 405-6397 services, including transportation, Fax (925) 406-0547 meal preparation, and handyman and editor@yourmonthlypaper.com professional repair services; health Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher and wellness assistance services, The opinions expressed herein belong to the and do not necessarily reflect that of Laincluding home health care, medical writers, fayette Today. Lafayette Today is not responsible equipment and physical therapy; for the content of any of the advertising herein,
See Village continued on page 20
nor does publication imply endorsement.