Gary Hammond
SaddleBrookeVillage is an umbrella organization and incubator where ideas are developed and implemented to provide SaddleBrooke residents with access to non-medical services. These services will be provided by volunteers and/or private contractors. The goal is to help residents stay in their homes as long as possible. SaddleBrookeVillage will work closely with established community organizations already providing services and support to residents. Representatives of these organizations will help guide our future efforts by serving on the Village Council.
One of the first Village projects is a report on assisted living communities in Tucson. This will provide residents a better picture of the alternative to staying in their own homes. Unfortunately, many such assisted living communities can be rather expensive. Another project is the development of a database of providers of personal care services in SaddleBrooke. This will be based upon referrals from residents and their evaluations of the quality of those services (on a one to five star rating system).
Finally, there will need to be a major education and communication effort to make residents aware of SaddleBrookeVillage and the services it will offer. Volunteers will then be recruited to visit interested residents to take an inventory of their present and anticipated needs. Based upon that inventory we will recruit volunteer service providers and expand the professional provider database.
It’s a very long term project but with the participation of community volunteers—Friends helping Friends—we can succeed. Please watch for future articles to stay in touch.