In the Pine River Valley, a network is growing. Community advocates are connecting aging adults, people with disabilities and others in need with support services and a message: We’ve got your back.
The network is part of a year-old grassroots initiative led by two nonprofits, Southwest Center for Independence and Pine River Shares, which was just awarded $66,400 to spur the effort along.
Residents in remote areas of eastern La Plata County face barriers to daily independence and safety, such as difficulty accessing transportation, food, health care or other services. The Thrive in Place project, formerly called Stay at Home, aims to face those barriers head-on.
“We are thrilled that our Thrive in Place project has received this grant,” said representatives from each nonprofit in a joint statement. “It’s a tremendous endorsement to have this backing from funders so aligned with our mission.”
The money comes from The NextFifty Initiative, a Denver-based nonprofit focused on aging adults. Pine River Shares has two years to spend the award.
“We see Pine River Shares’ work on aging issues and experiences as an embodiment of our efforts toward more positive and enlightened approaches to aging,” said Diana McFail, president and CEO of NextFifty.
The Thrive in Place project started as a series of community listening sessions. People spoke about caregiver burnout, the cost of living, social or geographic isolation and transportation barriers.
Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and in-person meetings were canceled to prevent spreading the novel coronavirus. It temporarily stunted the project’s momentum as volunteers figured out how to engage the community remotely and train up on the technology needed to do so.
“With COVID, all these issues that already existed in aging, all these barriers to aging in place, have only gotten worse,” said Gordon South, co-organizer with the Southwest Center for Independence. “It’s made it all the more important to do this work in ways that are accessible for aging adults and keeps them safe.”
In May, community advocates started meeting again, twice each month, to discuss barriers, possible solutions and ways to help specific people who are in need. They represent communities all over the valley, from Vallecito in the north to Allison and Arboles in the south.
“We’re working with people who have lost their spouses. They’re ranchers ... they live alone,” said Sharman Alto, a Thrive in Place community advocate in Arboles. “Maybe some of them can’t even drive anymore, even though they’re still taking care of a ranch. We’re not only there to help them keep in touch, but it’s also camaraderie to know there are people out there who really care.”
“When we find out about people who are in need, we try to close that gap and help them,” said Candy Gerber, an advocate from Bayfield. “Seniors haven’t had any social gatherings for six months, and they’re hurting.”
One challenge: getting more participation from people who might need help, but don’t like to ask for it. They hope upcoming ice cream socials will foster more participation.
“No one has contacted us,” said Carole McWilliams, another Bayfield advocate. “Rural folk tend to be very proud, self-reliant and unwilling to ask for help even when they need it. That’s what we’re trying to get past now.”
After a year of effort, the program has reached its second stage: developing a community-led strategic plan for addressing rural access issues in the valley. Strategies could include everything from phone trees to transportation assistance and affordable housing resources, South said.
The NextFifty grant will fund the development of the plan, which organizers hope to complete by the end of 2020, he said.
“It’s all about community connectedness and the ability of people to respond together,” South said. “We need this everywhere in the world.”
smullane@durangoherald.com
