Research and Service Projects >> Community Membership
Community Membership
What is it?
Community membership is having a sense of belonging and a feeling of connection to those around you. It is an identity, a way to know who you are because of your relationship to the community. Members of the community have relationships that tend to be stable and characterized by reciprocity. Community membership is not only being in the community but being the fabric of daily life in the society.
Go directly to the answer to methods to assist aging people with disabilities to become community members
The Center for Aging and Community (CAC) believes that all adults, with and without lifelong disabilities, can benefit from community participation and can make important contributions to the people and places around them. Community participation adds meaning, value and purpose to the lives of all. For those of us who support persons with disabilities it is our responsibility to find opportunities that will enhance choice making, being respected, increasing competence, community presence, and community participation. With the baby boomers reaching retirement age, many organizations are seeking information on retirement programs. CAC endorses community membership as the most favorable approach.
Why is it so important?
"They like me here. When I get there, two tables had a seat for me and I had two alones." Jim says with a smile as he gets into his car after a weekly euchre game at the Bloomington Senior Center.
Jim in his early sixties and has been playing euchre for many years now. He quickly became one of the regulars. Other players know his name; they laugh a lot and ask questions about what is going on in each other's lives.
"I have learned many different things from being a friend of Jim's. Just hearing him talk about the things that are important to him and knowing how much he wants to have the things that everyone wants out of life. That is something that I really had not realized until we became closer friends." - Tammy, a former co-worker and long-time friend of Jim's
When the YMCA director heard Ernie did not hav money to renew his bus pass, she asked staff and board members if they wanted to contribute toward Ernie's bus pass. They donated enough money to pay for one year's worth of passes.
More nad more people with disabilities are aging and quickly approaching retirement age. Many aging adults feel ill-equipped for this late life transition and lack reservoir interests, hobbies, and/or friendships to help fill their days and provide some meaning to their lives. As an antidote, CAC focuses on improving the quality of life of older adults with developmental disabilities through community membership. Community builders (staff) are specifically charged with discovering the interests, gifts and talents of the person and finding welcoming places where they could shine.
What can you (as a staff or other support specialist) do to help?
Right now, if you're a staff member, you might be asking yourself one big question: what can we do to help support our clients to become valued members of the community? The answer is simple.