Neighborhood starts program to help seniors

Burning Tree Village aims to pair elderly residents with volunteers to aid in everyday activities

‘‘All my normal resources failed me,” the 73-year-old said.

Stenstrom, a resident of Bethesda’s Burning Tree neighborhood, called his neighbor, Harry Rosenberg, to ask for help. Soon Stenstrom had a ride home, and a new friend in neighbor—-and driver—- Wendy Williams.

A seemingly random act of neighborly friendliness is the crux of a new program in Burning Tree that aims to pair aging residents with volunteers to help them with their everyday activities.

The program, Burning Tree Village, Inc., kicked off on Sunday. Organizers hope the new service will catch on not only in Bethesda, but across the county.

At the group’s first meeting Sunday, aging residents signed up for help, while younger volunteers offered to visit with the senior citizens, take out their trash, or simply change a light bulb.

Rosenberg, vice president of the group, said the program will rely on neighborly instincts and a bevy of volunteers.

‘‘This really is a grassroots movement,” the Rosenberg, 72, said. ‘‘We’ll need neighbors to give up just a little time, to make sure other neighbors are doing O.K.”

The concept of Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities is a growing movement in the United States. The goal of these groups is to help older residents ‘‘age in place” as opposed to moving into a retirement community or assisted living center.

Burning Tree Village is based on other NORCs throughout the country, like Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, and areas as nearby as Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C.

Joseph DeMattos, Jr., Maryland state director of the AARP, said the model started in Beacon Hill and now taking root in Bethesda is growing throughout the state.

He said 77 percent of Maryland residents over the age of 50 own their own homes, and 84 percent of that group want to stay there.

‘‘People are beginning to organize around the state to pool their experiences and resources,” he said. ‘‘They’re trying to find a way to remain vibrant as they age.”

Leslie Kessler, president of Burning Tree Village, said she believes it is the first of its kind in Montgomery County.

The group is accepting applications from older residents and volunteers alike, and will start pairing people up based on their needs and skills as soon as possible. The Senior Connection, a Silver Spring nonprofit that pairs senior citizens up with volunteers across the county, is aiding Burning Tree with the pairings, as well as provide training for volunteers.

To help the Burning Tree group get the group off the ground, the county provided $3,000-$4,000, Rosenberg said.

While other villages around the country charge fees for the service—some up to $3,000 a year—- Burning Tree Village will not cost the seniors anything; donations, however, are encouraged, Kessler said. The group has organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

The area the group will serve is bounded by River Road to the south, Wilson Lane to the east, Beach Tree Road to the west, and Maryknoll Avenue to the north. Rosenberg said if successful, the group hopes to expand to more streets in the neighborhood.

Anne-Marie Economopoulos, 70, who attended the kick-off meeting Sunday said she’s been helping her neighbors for the last six or seven years, and is excited a formal group has been created.

‘‘I see no reason why it can’t succeed,” she said. ‘‘...hopefully it will be the kind of thing where I can volunteer for a while, then maybe someone can help me.”

Rosenberg said about 1,300 people live within the boundaries of the village; about 300 of those are senior citizens, he said.

While the official number of volunteers isn’t available yet, Rosenberg said he expects upwards of 80 community members to volunteer for the program.

Rosenberg said other communities have contacted the board of directors to see how to start similar age-in-place programs in their neighborhoods. Residents of Bannockburn and Carderock Springs in Bethesda, as well as Fallsmead in Rockville, have contacted the group, and Rosenberg said Burning Tree Village is willing to help any group get started.

‘‘For a neighborhood group this is a very challenging undertaking,” he said. ‘‘We’ve had help from the county and an attorney, and it wouldn’t have been possible without them.”