Aging Your Way

Boomer couple, hugging and smiling outdoorsAging Your Way was conceived at (then) Senior Services in 2009 by Denise Klein, Executive Director and Joanne Donohue, Vice President. It began as an initiative that morphed into a movement throughout King County, which is the Greater Seattle Area in Washington State. To better plan for our future programs, we wanted to learn what the next aging generation, Baby Boomers, would want and need to support them. So we decided to ask them. We knew a simple survey wouldn’t be enough, and we knew that asking the current seniors through our vast network of services wouldn’t tell us what the future seniors would want. The Community Transformation Toolkit demonstrates our work for the next five years.

From 2010-2011 we held 12 Gatherings attended by 700 Boomer-age folks. Five overarching principles emerged, indicating a need for communities that are:

  • Intergenerational
  • Multi-cultural
  • Sustainable
  • Supported by technology
  • Focused on local economies

Want to learn more? Take a look at our Community Transformation Toolkit .

Aging Your Way Community Projects

Timebanking

This is a way of giving and receiving to build supportive networks and strong communities. One hour helping another earns one TimeBank Hour to be used getting help from someone else. These groups form geographically. In our area, there are timebanks in:

  1. Shoreline
  2. Eastside
  3. West Seattle

Villages

These membership organizations enable elders to stay in their homes as they age, creating a virtual village, rather than a place. Staff, volunteers and vetted vendors provide supportive services. Local examples:

To learn about new groups forming in Shoreline and West Seattle, contact:Joanne Donohue at joanned@SoundGenerations.org.
For the Eastside Village (Bellevue), contact: Joanne Gainen at joanne@gainensurveys.com

World Dance Parties

Bring a potluck dish to share and your dancing shoes! Is there a better way to get to know your neighbors than to share a meal and learn something new together? World Dance Parties are the most fun you can have for free. Help plan one or two in one of these communities, or learn to throw your own party by contacting:

Calendar