Andover is not a community geared toward seniors. The news that The Andovers Village at Home will disband later this month certainly will not improve that.
TAVAH, an organization meant to help seniors live independently in their homes by providing them with services and with a network of trusted providers, for a fee, could not attract enough users or financial support to continue. Whether more people did not join was because of its cost, old-fashioned New England pride and self-sufficiency or another reason is something worth finding out.
Past surveys of residents have shown people do not see Andover as a great place for senior citizens to live. A previous Annual Town Meeting rejected the idea of allowing communities for those 55 and older. But Andover has made some strides in recent years, such as by adding a three-season room to the senior center, and launching its BoomerVenture program of activities meant to appeal to baby boomers as they begin reaching retirement age. TAVAH had potential to be another positive. We suspect that some kind of similar, tweaked approach might be successful at another time.
Those interested in providing seniors with ways to stay in this increasingly expensive community did get some good news this week. Although a potential developer reportedly has changed its mind about pursuing an elderly housing development, the town will continue to study what might be done to encourage the type of housing for elderly that Andover needs. A town plan to address elderly housing shouldn't be based on any particular developer's vision, but on what the town needs. So we're glad the task force will continue to look into the issue. We hope senior housing will allow more seniors who have spent their lives here to remain as long as they wish, keeping their love and knowledge of the community here in Andover.
Regardless, it's good to see the town considering senior issues, a natural focus of attention given the aging boomer population in Andover and throughout the country.
Letter
TAVAH Board on decision to disband
The Board of Directors of The Andovers Village at Home (TAVAH) voted last week, with deep regret, to cease operations as of Feb. 29, 2012. This is a most difficult and painful decision. All of us who have been involved in TAVAH care about each of our members and have been committed to our purpose of responding to their needs and requests for services.
Despite our best efforts and a great deal of hard work over many years, we have not achieved the growth in membership or in donations and foundation support to be a financially viable organization.
We are very proud of all that we have accomplished; recruiting a talented group of preferred providers, creating meaningful events and activities for our members, developing a pool of loyal volunteers, and establishing supportive relationships with respected organizations like Lawrence General Hospital, Home Health VNA, and the Andover/North Andover YMCA.
For various reasons, the village concept has not caught on in the Andovers as it has done successfully in other areas of Massachusetts, New England, and across the country.
TAVAH was a perfect example of the kind of initiative that communities like ours must embrace as our population ages and requires greater support to remain safe, independent and connected to the community. It embodied the spirit of neighbors helping neighbors and volunteerism that is often lost these days.
While growth has been a challenge, TAVAH has been a lifeline for many people and its loss will reverberate for a long time to come. Unfortunately, those who were not ready for it yet will never realize the benefits it could have afforded them.
We wish to thank those individuals and organizations who believed in us and supported TAVAH through their affiliation and dedication of time and resources.
