Greetings to our MCC members and friends! It's a drizzly dreary day outside with a mostly gray week predicted. It's up to us to serve as sunshine for each other! 

As you know, several of us attended the Village to Village Network annual conference in Chicago last month. We learned a lot -- topics ranged from the village movement to social isolation, from intergenerational connections to fundraising for sustainability. We enjoyed hearing from Marc Freedman of Encore.org and author of How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations, among others. (Let me know if you want to borrow my copy once I've finished reading it!) 

I was impressed with a few of the conference sponsors and thought I would tell you about them. The first is GrandPad, a tablet for seniors. Touted on their website as "the smartest, simplest, and safest way to connect seniors with their loved ones."  Through the free GrandPad companion app and web portal, loved ones can connect to GrandPad's private family network via iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or desktop computer. The essential apps and services on the GrandPad eliminate the clutter, distractions and complications of other devices, allowing seniors to instantly connect with loved ones. Another sponsor that stood out for me was Silvernest, a matching service for homesharing. From a roommate finder to an agreement builder and beyond, Silvernest gives homeowners and renters the tools they need to create a Home Sweet Shared Home®. In all 50 states, Silvernest lets you choose how you want to homeshare, including the option to reduce your rent in exchange for help around the house. 

Even The New York Times is talking about villages and homesharing in their recent article, "' We Need Each Other': Seniors Are Drawn to New Housing Arrangements." Although we are heading in the right direction, we are still figuring out how to stop age segregation. In an interview with Forbes, Marc Freedman said, "The fact is, for all the hand wringing and apocalyptic predictions, the needs and assets of the generations fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Just ask any grandparent! If we build on this natural bond between the older and younger generations, both within families and across different communities, we can avoid conflict, solve problems from child care to loneliness and even generate a good deal of personal happiness along the way."  Sounds good to me!