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Life-long community with Ria Overholt and Steve Gaskill · A New Angle

• 0:00
  [music]
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  SPEAKER_01: This is A New Angle, conversations about how we're doing and where we're going.
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  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Justin Angle.
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  SPEAKER_01: This show is supported by the Headwaters Foundation,
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  SPEAKER_01: First Security Bank, and the University of Montana College of Business.
• 0:22
  [music]
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  SPEAKER_01: Hey, folks, welcome back, and thanks for tuning in.
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  SPEAKER_01: Today, I'm speaking with Ria Overholt and Steve Gaskell about Missoula Villages,
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  SPEAKER_01: a neighbor-powered network that brings older citizens together through events,
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  SPEAKER_01: activities, and a help exchange.
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  SPEAKER_03: I love my daughters very much.
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  SPEAKER_03: I don't want them to carry the full weight of caring for me as I age.
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  SPEAKER_03: So how do I build a network?
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  SPEAKER_03: How do I have this safety net and know that I have someone that I can reach out to
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  SPEAKER_03: if I need help?
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  SPEAKER_01: Networks like Missoula Villages are springing up across the country and fill
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  SPEAKER_01: an important unmet need for support and community.
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  SPEAKER_01: Rhea, Steve, thanks for joining me.
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  SPEAKER_03: You're welcome.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_03: Happy to be here.
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  SPEAKER_01: So tell us, where did you grow up and what did your parents do?
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  SPEAKER_01: Rhea, let's start with you.
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  SPEAKER_03: I am a Darby, Montana girl all the way through.
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  SPEAKER_03: My father was a log home builder,
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  SPEAKER_03: owned his own company,
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  SPEAKER_03: and so I grew up up the West Fork riding horses and being a country girl.
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  SPEAKER_03: Steve.
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  SPEAKER_00: Well, I grew up in rural Colorado in the mountains.
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  SPEAKER_00: Our family's claim to fame was my mom was the lady behind building the Colorado Trail.
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  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
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  SPEAKER_00: And my dad was a geologist who spent the later part of his retirement supporting
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  SPEAKER_00: the building of the Colorado Trail.
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  SPEAKER_01: Well, we're here to talk about Missoula Villages, but let's start with Missoula Aging Services.
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  SPEAKER_01: Rhea, what is Missoula Aging Services?
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  SPEAKER_01: What needs does it meet in the community?
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  SPEAKER_03: So Missoula Aging Services is a nonprofit here in Missoula.
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  SPEAKER_03: We're actually one of 10 area agencies on aging across the state of Montana.
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  SPEAKER_03: We fill a need helping support older people as they age within their homes and
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  SPEAKER_03: within their communities.
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  SPEAKER_03: So it's a variety of services.
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  SPEAKER_03: As you can imagine, aging is a It's a complex process.
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  SPEAKER_03: We're all aging.
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  SPEAKER_03: I'm aging as I'm sitting here.
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  SPEAKER_03: You're aging.
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  SPEAKER_03: We're all aging.
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  SPEAKER_03: But there comes a point where we start to need more supports in our life.
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  SPEAKER_03: And so we step in as an agency to help with that.
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  SPEAKER_03: So it's everything from meal delivery,
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  SPEAKER_03: Meals on Wheels,
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  SPEAKER_03: caregiver support groups,
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  SPEAKER_03: and just helping to navigate the world of Medicaid and Medicare and
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  SPEAKER_03: that complicated system.
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  SPEAKER_01: It's interesting.
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  SPEAKER_01: You used the word complicated, yet you said that we're all aging.
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  SPEAKER_01: And that is the sort of odd thing about this area is that it's happening to all of us.
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  SPEAKER_01: It will happen to all of us,
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  SPEAKER_01: yet we don't really have good systems or good ways of communicating about all of it.
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  SPEAKER_03: We don't.
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  SPEAKER_03: And not only that, we don't think about it because we don't want to think about it.
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  SPEAKER_03: It's one of those things that we don't want to...
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  SPEAKER_03: We don't want to deal with,
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  SPEAKER_03: we want to imagine that it's not going to happen to us until it does.
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  SPEAKER_03: So really a lot of what we do is trying to engage in conversations ahead
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  SPEAKER_03: of time saying, look,
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  SPEAKER_03: it can be a real time of beauty and a real time of empowerment and a time
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  SPEAKER_03: of connection.
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  SPEAKER_03: But how do you start putting the pieces into place so that you can fully experience
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  SPEAKER_03: that and appreciate it?
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  SPEAKER_01: And how did you get into this line of work?
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  SPEAKER_03: It was very personal for me.
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  SPEAKER_03: I was working in the school systems.
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  SPEAKER_03: I was working with children.
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  SPEAKER_03: And my grandfather developed dementia.
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  SPEAKER_03: And I became his primary caregiver.
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  SPEAKER_03: My husband and my kids were at home at the time.
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  SPEAKER_03: And I'm caring for my grandfather.
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  SPEAKER_03: He wanted to stay in his own home.
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  SPEAKER_03: He wanted that desperately.
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  SPEAKER_03: And there comes a point in everyone's caregiver's journey that
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  SPEAKER_03: Where they look around and go, I don't know if I can finish this.
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  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if I can complete this journey.
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  SPEAKER_03: It's too hard.
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  SPEAKER_03: And it just so happened that we turned to Missoula Aging Services for resources
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  SPEAKER_03: and we got some badly needed assistance and some help.
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  SPEAKER_03: It was a lifeline.
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  SPEAKER_03: And we were able to finish that process.
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  SPEAKER_03: Grandpa passed away at home in the way that he wanted.
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  SPEAKER_03: And then a job came open at Missoula Aging Services.
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  SPEAKER_03: And I thought, I want to do that.
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  SPEAKER_01: So Steve, let's bring you in.
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  SPEAKER_01: You've had a long and illustrious career here as a scientist.
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  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
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  SPEAKER_01: Give us your career summary and then finish with how did you plug into this group
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  SPEAKER_01: and why did you get involved in this particular topic?
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  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's been a great journey.
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  SPEAKER_00: The University of Montana is just a great place to work.
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  SPEAKER_00: I love teaching.
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  SPEAKER_00: I did a lot of research studying wildland firefighters.
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  SPEAKER_00: But I also worked a lot with youth and physical activity and health.
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  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of what I taught was about aging and all the diseases that go with it.
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  SPEAKER_00: And as I'm getting older, I'm beginning to realize that aging isn't really for the meek.
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  SPEAKER_00: But as Rhea said, it's just wonderful that you can slow down.
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  SPEAKER_00: You can really enjoy what you're doing.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I got involved with this project thanks to Rhea.
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  SPEAKER_00: We served on a committee.
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  SPEAKER_00: I had a committee with the Parks and Rec for a while.
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  SPEAKER_00: And she pulled me aside one day and said, do you want to come to one of our meetings?
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  SPEAKER_00: And one meeting, and I instantly knew this was something that was worth doing.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is something that's really important.
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  SPEAKER_00: At my age, I feel like I'm doing great.
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  SPEAKER_00: Great.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm still taking care of the house and we get out and hike and mountain bike
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  SPEAKER_00: and climb and do all that stuff.
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  SPEAKER_00: But I'm one step away from needing help.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I think the great thing about this program that I saw was I see it as
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  SPEAKER_00: a preventative program to help people like me who don't really need the help
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  SPEAKER_00: yet be part of it so that we can give help to the older people.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then I don't feel guilty asking for help when I need to.
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  SPEAKER_01: So Ria, let's get specific with Missoula Villages in particular.
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  SPEAKER_01: You launched the program in January.
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  SPEAKER_03: In January, yes.
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  SPEAKER_01: What is it and what specifically is it trying to do?
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  SPEAKER_03: It's really about creating a network of neighbors and a place
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  SPEAKER_03: where connections can take place and neighbors can help neighbors.
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  SPEAKER_03: So really,
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  SPEAKER_03: it's all based around a website that is built out that allows people
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  SPEAKER_03: to It allows them to connect through events and activities.
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  SPEAKER_03: It allows them to share resources and ideas and thoughts with each other.
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  SPEAKER_03: And it allows them to reach out and ask for help when they might need.
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  SPEAKER_01: A lot of the social science on the state of our society paints a grim picture of
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  SPEAKER_01: the concept of neighborliness at the moment.
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  SPEAKER_01: We're less likely to engage with our neighbors,
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  SPEAKER_01: know our neighbors, spend time with our neighbors.
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  SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of statistics that describe how little time we are spending together.
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  SPEAKER_00: Steve, I suppose I'll ask you because you've established your seniority in the group.
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  SPEAKER_01: I mean, how does some of that social science map onto your experience?
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm big on neighbors.
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  SPEAKER_00: I consider our neighborhood to be wonderful.
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  SPEAKER_00: Kathy and I have dinner with our neighbors frequently.
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  SPEAKER_00: We're invited back and forth across the street in the cul-de-sac.
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  SPEAKER_00: But I think looking a little broader, Missoula is just a special place.
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  SPEAKER_00: I've never seen a town where people take care of each other.
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  SPEAKER_00: I've lived in other places where we did not know our neighbors,
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  SPEAKER_00: and we tried, and it didn't work.
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  SPEAKER_00: The Missoula Villages concept is really what we're all going to need.
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  SPEAKER_01: What it sounds like, Ria, is you're painting a broader view of what it means to be a neighbor.
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  SPEAKER_01: You can be a neighbor across a geographic space in ways that technology can facilitate.
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  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we're talking about a relationship here, not just a proximity, right?
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  SPEAKER_03: And I think that those Those relationships that need to exist in a way
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  SPEAKER_03: that they can be reciprocal, that they can be supportive of each other.
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  SPEAKER_03: Not everybody has it.
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  SPEAKER_03: And Steve's right.
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  SPEAKER_03: There are pockets within this city of Missoula where that really exists.
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  SPEAKER_03: And if you happen to be an In one of those,
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  SPEAKER_03: hold on tight to it because it's something precious and something beautiful,
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  SPEAKER_03: but it's not a universal experience.
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  SPEAKER_03: As we start to age, we start to see a lot of our natural social connections start to break down.
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  SPEAKER_03: You think about right now, probably for you, work is a big part of your life.
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  SPEAKER_03: And if you have kids in school,
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  SPEAKER_03: you've got the parents of the other children and You have all
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  SPEAKER_03: of these support systems and these social systems that you exist within.
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  SPEAKER_03: But then you leave the work environment and you leave that social system behind.
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  SPEAKER_03: Your friends start to age.
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  SPEAKER_03: They start to get older.
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  SPEAKER_03: You start to lose them.
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  SPEAKER_03: They move to be with family.
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  SPEAKER_03: And it can be difficult to replace them with new ones coming in.
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  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
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  SPEAKER_03: Steve's an anomaly.
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  SPEAKER_03: He's a unicorn within the aging world because Steve and Kathy are so engaged within
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  SPEAKER_03: the community still and they've created new circles, new social circles.
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  SPEAKER_03: But what if that's not your reality?
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  SPEAKER_03: What does the world look like then?
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  SPEAKER_03: And so this is starting to fill some of those needs, a place where you can create that.
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  SPEAKER_01: And this isn't necessarily a new need.
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  SPEAKER_01: People have been aging.
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  SPEAKER_01: They've been retiring.
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  SPEAKER_01: I mean, people are living longer.
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  SPEAKER_01: So there is that like, well,
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  SPEAKER_01: if we're retiring at the same age and are living longer,
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  SPEAKER_01: then that creates more demand.
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  SPEAKER_01: But is the need more salient now?
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  SPEAKER_01: Is there some sort of part of the social contract that has shifted such that
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  SPEAKER_01: the need for something like Missoula Villages is more salient?
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  SPEAKER_03: I think a couple of things have happened.
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  SPEAKER_03: One, a few of the The things that used to be vibrant parts of my grandparents'
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  SPEAKER_03: and my parents' lives were their church groups.
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  SPEAKER_03: They belonged to the Elks and the Eagles and the Kiwanis,
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  SPEAKER_03: and they had those sort of formal structure systems.
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  SPEAKER_03: And we're starting to see a decrease in participation in those things.
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  SPEAKER_03: I think the other thing that happened in all of this is when COVID happened,
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  SPEAKER_03: there was some interesting research that came out because- We all know
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_03: the importance of the major relationships in our lives, right?
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  SPEAKER_03: But think about when we all shut down and we stayed home,
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  SPEAKER_03: you still had contact with your major relationships.
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  SPEAKER_03: You still talked to your family.
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  SPEAKER_03: You still talked with your closest friends.
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  SPEAKER_03: But there was still a feeling of loneliness that we experienced.
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  SPEAKER_03: And what some of the research is indicating is that those were those minor interactions.
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  SPEAKER_03: That's going to the grocery store and having that same I think all of us got to go,
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_03: oh, wait a minute.
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  SPEAKER_03: This is what happens.
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  SPEAKER_03: This is what it feels like when your life...
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  SPEAKER_03: Gets reduced when it gets smaller.
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  SPEAKER_03: So I don't know if it was a major shift as much as we have a greater empathy and
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  SPEAKER_03: a better understanding of the need.
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  SPEAKER_01: I'm curious, Steve, your take on this idea.
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  SPEAKER_01: I mean,
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  SPEAKER_01: you've studied the connection between how we use our bodies and our health outcomes,
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  SPEAKER_01: longevity, etc.
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  SPEAKER_01: But the importance of social connection is And friendships play such a strong role
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  SPEAKER_01: in our longevity.
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  SPEAKER_01: Is that something as a scientist you ever considered or how have you interacted with
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: that social science over the arc of your career?
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  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I've read a lot of it.
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  SPEAKER_00: I haven't studied it myself,
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: but it was tied into the I think about the people that we're seeing that want
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  SPEAKER_00: to be part of the villages.
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  SPEAKER_00: And they're getting older.
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  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, one guy came in and he said, I don't have any golf buddies left anymore.
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  SPEAKER_00: Either they've died or they don't play golf.
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  SPEAKER_00: And another one, pickleball.
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  SPEAKER_00: You know, I'm thinking the physical activities.
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  SPEAKER_00: But one of my good friends that's joined and he goes,
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  SPEAKER_00: I don't have any friends left at all anymore.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I don't have anybody to go to coffee with.
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  SPEAKER_00: So I'm going out walking by myself.
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  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
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  SPEAKER_00: And you just see the loneliness.
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  SPEAKER_00: And as soon as you do something with them, they're instantly perked up and they feel good.
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  SPEAKER_00: But we're putting together programs, recommending programs.
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  SPEAKER_00: Missoula Aging Services staff is great.
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  SPEAKER_00: They're finding ways to connect people and bring them together,
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  SPEAKER_00: which to me is the big, big part of the program.
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  SPEAKER_00: We have this part of the website where they can request services for transportation
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  SPEAKER_00: or yard help or help around the house.
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  SPEAKER_00: But nobody's requesting help.
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  SPEAKER_00: They just want to get together and socialize.
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  SPEAKER_01: We'll be back to my conversation with Ria Overholt and Steve Gaskill after this short break.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: A New Angle would not be possible without the generous support of
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: the Headwaters Foundation,
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: working side by side with Western Montanans to improve the health
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: of our communities.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: And you can't do that sort of work without access to capital and education.
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  SPEAKER_01: Two critical catalysts offered by First Security Bank and the University
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: of Montana College of Business.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_02: Hi, this is Sheila Stearns,
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_02: Commissioner Emerita of the Montana University System and former President of
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_02: the University of Montana.
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  SPEAKER_02: You are listening to one of my favorite podcasts, A New Angle.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to A New Angle.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: I'm speaking with Ria Overholt and Steve Gaskill about building community among seniors.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: So you're a few months in.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_01: What has demand been like?
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
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  SPEAKER_03: So we have a steady flow of people that are joining on.
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  SPEAKER_03: And one of the things that's really interesting is everybody who joins on,
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  SPEAKER_03: they come in and first of all,
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_03: they're vetted because we want it to be as safe of a community as we can create,
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_03: right?
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  SPEAKER_03: But then there's a whole series of conversations that take place and there's visits
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  SPEAKER_03: and In-person onboarding, because Steve's right, it's about the relationship.
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  SPEAKER_03: So every person is sort of ushered through this process.
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  SPEAKER_03: And so we're ushering them through as quickly as a group of volunteers possibly can
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_03: at this point.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_03: And so I think we're sitting right about 30 right now with a whole group of people
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  SPEAKER_03: in the queue that we're...
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_03: We're going to move through in the process.
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  SPEAKER_00: And that's probably about as fast as we can vet people and bring them in.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: And as we grow and more of the members want to be involved in that process,
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: I think it can grow more rapidly.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: It seems to feel like the virtues we were promised from social networks without all
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: the toxic soup that's come with them as they've tried to monetize our attention
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_01: and do other things with us.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: But this idea of having a piece of technology that can help people find each other
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_01: to spend time with each other in meaningful ways.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's a beautiful thing.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: I've been trapped by the social media and gotten onto Instagram and,
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: oh, that's cool, and looking at the next thing and next thing.
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  SPEAKER_00: And pretty soon I have a headache.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I haven't learned anything or have made no connections.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's not social connections.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's a machine that you're looking at.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so I really reject that.
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  SPEAKER_00: I feel like the social connections that we want to make are people talking
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  SPEAKER_00: with people, doing things with people.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the magic that That's what us partnering with Missoula Aging Services bring.
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  SPEAKER_00: They've got the expertise, the knowledge, they're helping with a lot of the funding for this.
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  SPEAKER_00: And it's just,
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  SPEAKER_00: it's helping this small group really be able
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: to figure out how do we actually get people together.
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  SPEAKER_00: The big thing is,
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
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  SPEAKER_00: that we're trying to do,
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  SPEAKER_00: which is quiet out there, is help people age in place in home, in their homes.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the villages program has kind of shown that people can live maybe a year longer
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  SPEAKER_00: in their homes, which doesn't sound like much unless you've gone through it.
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  SPEAKER_00: You know,
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  SPEAKER_00: if I'd kept my dad in his home another year,
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: he would have had two weeks in a nursing home.
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  SPEAKER_00: And that's a big deal at the end of life to be able to stay in your own home
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: and have the support.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, to be able to live your life out the way you choose and the place you want.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_01: That's hugely important and contributes to dignity.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_01: There's an economic benefit to that too that's undeniable for many.
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  SPEAKER_01: And that speaks to a component of the program that I'd love to zero in on.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you mentioned we've focused so far on the social connections,
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: but this idea of a help exchange is probably...
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_03: Right before coming here today, I did a listening session with a group of older adults.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_03: They're actually a bunch of our Meals on Wheels drivers.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_03: And I was asking them,
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_03: what are the things that need to happen in order to help people stay in their homes?
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_03: It's the little things that add up.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_03: It's the One of the gentlemen at the table had a light bulb go off in one of his rooms.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_03: He couldn't change the light bulb himself,
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_03: so he had to call a handyman service to come and do that for him.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_03: So changing light bulbs,
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_03: taking care of,
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_03: we had one who told a story about the light bulb on the inside
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_03: of her microwave went out.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_03: It really made it difficult for her to use it.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_03: And so how do we just get those little things out of the way?
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_01: And how would you even know how to solve the problem of a light bulb in your microwave?
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_01: I mean,
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_01: that seems like we live in an economy that's designed for you to just replace
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_01: the microwave.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_03: Throw the microwave out and get a new one.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: Rather than solve this really minor problem.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_01: Whether it's the microwave or just the stability to step on a footstool to change
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_01: a light bulb, some of these things, they just seem like really simple problems.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_01: But you can see how those simple problems could be the difference
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_01: between somebody being able to live in their home on their own terms or not.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: Or afford to live in their own home.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: If you have to call professional every time a little thing goes wrong,
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: it adds up to thousands a year.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_01: And not to mention the effort and the ability to simply find that person.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: That's a tall order.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: So we've got handyman people that are willing to go and help our members.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: And what we suggest is that they can request things that you'd ask a neighbor to do,
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: which is common sense.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: And we really haven't had those requests yet, but they will come.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_03: They will come.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_03: And just knowing that that network is there, I think that's the other piece.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_03: We talk about it's just a safety net.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_03: It's knowing that you know who to call when you need help.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_03: Having someone sometimes beyond just their children.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_03: We don't want to be a burden to our children ever.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_03: I love my daughters very much.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_03: I don't want them to carry the full weight of caring for me as I age.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_03: So how do I build a network?
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_03: How do I have this safety net and know that I have someone that I can reach out to
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_03: if I need help?
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_03: And maybe I'll never need to use it.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_03: But just knowing that it's there and that I can access it,
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_03: that would give me a peace of mind, right?
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_03: That gives me that ability to know I can do this.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_03: We talk about it in terms of resiliency.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_03: That's resiliency.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: So this village model is happening in various areas across the country.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_01: It does seem like it might require a critical mass of people to work.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_03: Around the country, they have some very successful ones that operate with 10 members.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_03: And then they have some others that have 250 members.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_03: And so it's finding sort of that sweet spot for each community.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_03: And we don't know yet what that sweet spot is here.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_03: In some of those areas that have 250 members,
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_03: what they do is they break down into smaller clusters within that.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_03: And we could see a point where we end up doing that, right?
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_03: But finding the sweet spot is going to be important.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_03: And I think it's really fun.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_03: We are the second one of these programs in the state of Montana.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_03: So about seven years ago, a group up in Kalispell started a village.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_03: It's called My Glacier Village.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_03: Started in someone's living room.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_03: They got together.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_03: They had this idea.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_03: And it has grown into this beautiful, vibrant program.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_03: And so if Kalispell can do it, so can we, right?
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: Of course, yeah.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: Kalispell can't have something that we in Missoula can't pull off.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_03: But they've been really great.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_03: They've sort of mentored us along in this process and supported us in getting our feet under us.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, so second one in the state that we've started.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_03: And one of the...
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_03: Few in the whole country that is embedded in the way that this one is within
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_03: an aging services agency.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_03: So kind of groundbreaking a little bit.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: Just talking about that partnership,
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: what it's allowed us to do is use their expertise and in many cases their support.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: And because it's so And vital to Missoula Aging Services to be able
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: to reach this population such as myself that are still able to do things and live
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: in our homes but are going to need help.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: And also to reach those people that need a variety There's a variety
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: of different services that those aging services provides
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_00: under different little silos.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so putting everything together will make this really good
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_00: for Missoula Aging Services,
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: Also really good for this village program that's getting going.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, the difference that they make is we're able to charge $10 a month right now.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: Which anybody can afford, or I'd say most people can afford.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's very affordable.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: Whereas most of the villages around the country are $60 to $70, $80 a month.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so that's more of a barrier.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: That becomes a barrier.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: And we even hope that we can give scholarships at some point.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: Excellent.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: Because we want this to be a no-barrier program that really are neighbors helping neighbors.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_00: And our costs are,
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: we have a website cost and we have costs We want to help
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: to run all these little programs because we want to provide coffee and a pie
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: or something for them.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: The partnership,
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: what they bring to the table, Missoula Aging Services brings is just incredible.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: And then the group that's working on the villages specifically are so focused on it.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: And several of them, up to four or five years ago, were talking about doing something like this.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: And when they eventually partnered with Missoula Aging Services, it took off.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: And Ria's kind of modest.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_00: She says, you know, we'll figure it out.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: But I think it's going to grow quite rapidly.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I think within a couple of years, we'll have...
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: Small villages within all the different parts of town.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_01: So along those lines, Ria, what do you need?
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: If a listener is listening to this and thinking, gosh, that's a great program.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_01: I want to help.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: What are your needs?
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_03: What we need more than anything is to think about your neighbors,
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_03: think about the people around you who might benefit and help make that connection.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_03: Getting the word out is hard.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_03: It's hard, right?
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_03: And so think about that, that person that you know lives down three houses down.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_03: And you know that they're all alone and maybe they could really benefit.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_03: Reach out to them and say, hey, have you heard about this?
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_03: Let's make some contacts.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_03: Let's talk about this.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_03: I think that that right now is the biggest need.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_03: There's going to be,
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_03: as it continues to grow and as people start feeling comfortable putting
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_03: in their requests for help,
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_03: we're going to need lots of folks to help carry that load.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_03: And I think the one other thing that I want to pitch is that we're having
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_03: so much fun partnering with different businesses and different groups
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_03: to make these social activities happen.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_03: So we were on Monday,
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_03: we were over at great little plant store, Leaf and Quiet and Florio Coffee, right?
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_03: And they hosted us and it was amazing.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_03: So if you have a business,
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_03: if you're out there and you've got something and you think,
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_03: boy, this could be really fun.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_03: Reach out.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_03: We want to feel connected to our community.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_03: So we've got to find a way into the university, onto the campus.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_03: So maybe you can help us with that.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_03: We need some fun things.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're a small business owner who wants some customers, get in touch with Ria.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_03: How do people find you?
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_03: So they go to the Missoula Aging Services website, missoulaagingservices.org.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_03: They call us.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_03: It's one number gets you in.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_03: It's 406-728-7682.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_03: And you just call and say,
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_03: I want to talk to someone about the villages and they'll get you to
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_03: the right person.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: Steve, any final thoughts on your involvement with this great initiative?
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: Well, as I always say,
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_00: the women that are running this thing and I'm along for the ride,
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: they always do such a great job.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: I have no more to say.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_01: Fair enough.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_01: We'll leave it at that.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_01: Our last question is when was the last time you changed your mind?
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_03: Rhea, you want to start there?
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_03: The last time I changed my mind.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_03: So,
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_03: oh, this morning, this is, this is, I mean, this is deep, deep, deep level here.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_03: I am not a huge fan of black olives,
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_03: but I had a pizza from the bridge today at lunch that had black olives on it.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_03: I could get into that.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_03: You changed your mind up.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: Black olives.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_03: I think so.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_03: I think the bridge pizza did that for me.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_01: Well, that gives me hope for the world.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_01: There you go.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_01: That if you can change your mind on a taste preference.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_03: There is hope.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_03: But like I said, we went super deep on that one.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_03: Cognitive agility.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_03: There you go.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_00: Steve.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_00: Boy, I can't top that one.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_00: Just on my way down here,
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_00: I hopped in the car because it had been raining and I pulled out of the driveway
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: and I looked out and the sun was shining and went, no, no driving.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: Park that baby and ride my bike.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_01: Very good.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for listening to A New Angle.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_01: If you like what we do and want to support us directly,
• 28:11
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• 28:17
  SPEAKER_01: A New Angle is recorded at Studio 49, a generous gift from UM alums Michelle and Lauren Hansen.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_01: Our presenting sponsor is the Headwaters Foundation,
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_01: working side-by-side with Western Montanans to improve the health
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: of our communities.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_01: We are also supported by First Security Bank and the University of Montana College
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_01: of Business, with additional help from CED, Drum Coffee, and Montana Public Radio.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_01: Keely Larson is our producer.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_01: John Brownell, Jeff Ament, and John Wicks made our music.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks a lot, and we'll see you next time.