By Susan E. Bouchard with contributions from Kara Kirby
(Photographs by Susan E. Bouchard)
Nan Levine and her friend Judith Litchman chat in the entranceway of
the Providence Art Club.
Lois and Preston Atwood, married for 71 years, share a laugh with Linda Ciolfi, a volunteer driver, as
they head to an East Providence salon for haircuts before Lois’ 94 th birthday party.
Across town, Marilyn Roberts puts out a plate of cookies and pours some sarsaparilla into a glass for
volunteer Peter Viner-Brown before he gets to work assembling her new couch.
Nan Levine and her friend Judith Litchman chat easily in the entranceway of the Providence Art Club
while they wait for a ride home from a small luncheon with friends.
The threads tying these active older adults together are part of the rich tapestry they became part of
when they joined the Providence Village.
The Providence Village of Rhode Island is loosely based on a concept that first began in the Beacon
Hill neighborhood of Boston in 2002. It is a grassroots, community-based, non-profit network of
support for people who want to stay active in their communities as they grow older.
Lauren Yabut, left, Administrator at Charlesgate and Kim Gardner, Community Support Specialist review a treatment plan.
Age-Friendly Rhode Island’s Strategic Plan calls for testing new models of supporting older adults in the
community. One innovative, grant-funded project currently underway is a pilot program bringing behavioral
health services directly into housing.
Partnering with Charlesgate and the Community Care Alliance, this six-month pilot program is closing gaps
in care for residents and building bridges of support that extend into the community.
Located in Providence, Charlesgate is an ideal place to test this model because they offer a wide continuum of
care with three levels of living - independent, assisted living and nursing home care – already available on their campus.
Panelists from left Maureen Maigret, Rep. Deborah Ruggiero, moderator Bill Flynn, Sen. Harold Metts and Lee Ann Byrne.
Building senior power through organizing was the focus of the Senior Agenda Coalition of
Rhode Island’s tenth annual conference and expo at the Crowne Plaza on Friday, Oct. 20, 2017.
Keynote speaker Jaime Estades encouraged the more than 300 gathered to learn to organize their
power to create change. Estades is co-founder of the Latino Leadership Institute (LLI), a
not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization affiliated with City University of New York. He has
been teaching campaign management and public policy for more than 20 years.
Maureen Maigret speaks at the Third Age Conference.
Bringing together people of all faiths to help older adults stay connected was the central
theme of The Third Age: The Role of Faith-Based Communities in Elder Care conference at the
Crowne Plaza in Warwick on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017.
Maureen Maigret, chair of the Aging in Community subcommittee of the Long Term Care Coordinating
Council, outlined the challenges facing the aging population in Rhode Island. Maigret highlighted
the many contributions older adults make to their families and communities as well as the positive
economic impact they have on our state.
Hannah Slachek, at left, one of more than a dozen regular participants in the weekly watercolor class at the center.
“I felt like the outside didn’t match the inside. I still felt young, but suddenly other people didn’t always see me that way.” Hannah Slachek, 71, of Pawtucket, R.I., recalls thinking she was too young for the “senior” center, but she decided to give it a try. “I joined a painting class and fell in love with the people I met there. They weren’t ‘old ladies’ they were wonderful, interesting and talented and they had already done so many interesting things in their lives.
Nearly 20 years earlier, Slachek and her husband Michael, moved to Florida for work. They were planning to eventually enjoy their retirement years there as well. But when her husband’s health failed and he passed away she had to re-think her life. She said, “I felt like there was a puzzle piece missing. Like I had to reinvent myself.” She longed to be closer to family, so she moved back to Rhode Island choosing to call Pawtucket home because it was close to her daughter, her extended family and lots of other services.
Sometimes people use the phrase "being on an island" as a metaphor for isolationism, being alone and cut off from the rest of the world. But on the small island of Jamestown, R.I., this couldn't be further from the truth. Quickly becoming one of the age-friendliest towns in the state, Jamestown has come to symbolize a paradise of sorts for its older citizens. In a state that holds the distinction of having the largest percentage of adults 85 and older in the nation, one in four Jamestown residents are currently 60 and older. This is among the highest percentages of older adults of Rhode Island towns. Many of Jamestown's nearly 5,500 residents view the natural barrier the waters of Narragansett Bay presents as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. These very defined borders make it easier for its senior center, headed by Ellen Conway-Vietri, to reach out and draw people into its many activities.
