VOA标准英语2015--老年人互助组织帮助老人在家"养老"

Senior Citizens Help Each Other Remain in Their Own Homes 老年人互助组织帮助老人在家"养老"

WASHINGTON—

With more and more of the so-called “baby boomers” reaching retirement¹ age in the United States, the trend toward “aging in place” is gaining widespread popularity. That’s the appeal of Capitol Hill Village — a nonprofit organization in a Washington neighborhood that provides its members with the services they need to remain safely and comfortably in their own homes.

Capitol Hill Village is not your grandparents’ retirement home. Actually, it’s not a home; it’s a community, where senior citizens are enjoying their retirement years, with a little help from their friends.

For many people, aging means leaving your own home and losing your freedoms. But Capitol Hill Village is trying to change all that. Here, the lifestyle involves Mahjong, book clubs and hiking trips.

Molly Singer, executive director, of Capitol Hill Village, calls it a movement

“Capitol Hill Village is a movement among the community. It started with a group of senior citizens and now has moved to [where] it is community-wide. ”

Self-reliance is key

In 2006, six like-minded neighbors decided² to form a group to help each other remain in their homes as they grew older. They started developing a list of contractors³ to provide such services as home repair, financial advice and transportation help — and they rely heavily on volunteering for each other within the community.

The organization now has 400 members who pay an annual membership fee.

The group employs a “volunteer-first” policy, finding a qualified⁴ volunteer to fulfill⁵ a request before contacting a commercial vendor⁶.  

Don Heffernan is helping⁷ a 90-year-old couple fix their phone. He's lived in the neighborhood for 32 years, joined Capitol Hill Village when he was 57, and has not stopped volunteering since.

“The younger they are, the more they volunteer,” said Heffernan. “But even people in their 80s, they are volunteering. I think most members view it as they will volunteer while they can, and maybe never use the services.”

'My own environment'

Eighty-seven-year-old Ruth Mitchell agrees. She volunteers for two hours each week, matching up those who offer services with those who need them.

She's an immigrant from Britain and now lives alone. Her hobby is reading and discussing different books. Being a member of Capitol Hill Village enabled her to form a book club and allows her to continue reading, gardening and living in her own home of 25 years.

“For me, I like to be in my own environment, and this is a crucial word,” Mitchell said. “I like to control my life and my environment, and that’s what I get out of it.”

Capitol Hill Village is allowing more and more senior citizens to live at home for as long as possible, with the support of neighbors, volunteers and services as needed.  

It’s a way for the older generation to remain socially engaged, and to be able to contribute to and thrive in their own community.

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

5 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

6 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。