How we got started
A retired hospital CEO, a retired doctor and a retired dentist - all serving on the board of Thompson House, an assisted living facility in Brattleboro, Vermont - were paying attention to the situation of older people in their county. They noticed important trends, starting asking questions, and envisioned a way forward in Windham County.
I envision a future where Vermonters can enjoy their older years in the home where they’ve always lived. This is called “Aging in Place”. If one can not age in place, where will one age? We all must be advocates to support successful aging in place, as family, community and legislators. That means money and manpower to revamp and strengthen the infrastructure of older adult care needs highlighted by Act 156. For example, let’s advocate and support any effort to pay elder workers (non-agency based) a livable wage. And let’s develop a state-tax based long term care insurance that could be financially available to all that supersedes the need to consider very expensive plans from traditional insurance companies.
-Dr. Carolyn Taylor-Olson
Roger Allbee, Dr. Carolyn Taylor-Olson, and David Neumeister
We are a collaboration.
Windham Aging is a collaboration of organizations who care about older Vermonters in Windham County. We are leaders and experts in healthcare and social determinants of health among those aged 60+. Our team is composed of leaders from these organizations:
● Brattleboro Housing Partnerships
● Brattleboro Memorial Hospital
● Brattleboro Mutual Aid Association/Thompson House
● Centre Congregational Church
● Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital
● HCRS
● Senior Solutions: Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont
● Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center
● Southern Vermont Transit/Moover
● St. Michael’s Episcopal Church Elder Ministry
● United Way of Windham County
● University of Vermont Extension
● Vermont Agency of Human Services
● Vermont Department of Health
● Windham County Heat Fund
Working with the State of Vermont
We work with the Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living (DAIL) and the Vermont Department of Health to address the needs identified in Act 156 (Older Vermonters Act) as passed by the State Legislature and signed by the Governor in 2020. Our work is intentionally designed to align with Act 156, build upon state-level efforts, and avoid duplication. Our work is aligned with the eight core tenets outlined within Act 156, with particular focus on the following three areas:
Optimal Health and Wellness
Coordinated and Efficient System of Services
Housing, Transportation, and Community Design
Our Partners
We are partnered with a set of other organizations that have contributed resources to further our efforts. These partners include:
Ben & Jerry's Foundation
Brattleboro Elks Lodge
Brattleboro Rotary Club
Brattleboro Savings & Loan Association
Community Bank
Gibbs Donchian Foundation
Golub Foundation
Secrest & Darrow
The Holt Fund
The Richards Group
Thomas Thompson Trust
United Way of Windham County
Vermont Community Foundation
Windham Foundation
Our Process
Our collaborative began in the Summer of 2021. In the Fall of 2021, the Windham Regional Commission began to compile and analyze data in Windham County and Vermont about the situation of older Vermonters now, and projecting where we’ll be in 10 and 20 years. Now that data is complete, and you can find the full report here.
In early 2023 we held community listening and planning sessions for Windham community members so we could establish the benchmark goals we want to reach in Windham County by 2040. Our work will continue to evolve in conjunction with the State of Vermont’s Act 156 Master Plan for Aging, and in collaboration with the many, high-quality existing services for older Vermonters in Windham County.
We are in the next phase of our project and have developed a roadmap to follow over the next 15 years - the Windham County Action Plan for Healthy Aging. We’ve discovered many, excellent strategies we could employ to navigate for great benefit for older Vermonters. But we know that we need to think carefully about what strategies to choose, given the complex landscape of laws, health and demographic projections, and our goals for older Vermonters.
We hope you can join us in this process to make Windham County an exceptional place to grow older!
What do older Vermonters want?
We’ve learned through interviewing people age 65+ in Windham County and through our daily interactions that most want the same things.
Self-Determined. Older Vermonters want to be in control of their futures, and be able to make choices that continue what they’ve grown to appreciate about their lives.
Age In Place. Many older Vermonters want to “age-in-place”, meaning they want to stay in their homes as long as possible. Older Vermonters want to move to assisted living only when that is medically necessary, or when it will increase their social connections and improve their lifestyle.
Fulfilled. Older Vermonters want to be fulfilled by the activities that they’ve enjoyed doing for years, whatever that may be, walking, reading, cooking, or spending time with family and friends.
Connected. Older Vermonters want to be connected to the people they care about: