In 2015, a group of your neighbors from Forest Park, in Raleigh North Carolina, realized they were not getting any younger. It’s so easy to avoid thinking about, much less talking about, getting older, even though we are all doing it. A small group of Forest Park neighbors have been meeting informally to focus on the subject for a few years, considering how we might be able to age in place by supporting one another through life’s transitions and planning spring forums to share learning.
Together they decided to form a coalition of people to help the residents of Forest Park age gracefully and remain connected to their neighbors for as long as possible. They created the Aging in Place Initiative.
Two years later, after much study and consideration, they embarked on creating something akin to the Beacon Hill Village movement and renamed themselves Forest Commons: the aging in place initiative.
Our Mission: Supporting our neighbors through life’s transitions.
Goals:
- Build community
- Stay in our homes in Forest Park as we age, maintaining our independence, autonomy, and freedom, being fulfilled as long as we can and helping others to do the same.
- Continue to be a vital part of the neighborhood as we age by maintaining our social connections with people of all ages in our neighborhood, and helping others to do the same.
We want to continue to create in our lives and be alive to the possibilities. We want to have vital relationships and to have others respect our boundaries. If later we need care in place, we may need someone to cook for us or help us to the bathroom when needed, but we do not need someone to take over our lives. We want to stay close to those who know and like us best and who warrant trust.
Let’s bravely look forward to the future, rather than avoiding the thoughts and discussion. There is much to learn, and we don’t know what we don’t know. There are and have been each spring some opportunities through a neighborhood forum series held at the Alexander Y to stretch a bit, to start some conversations across the generations. We’ll strive to be respectful of each other and be open to discovery. Let’s explore!
-Marty Lamb