Self Management

We are committed to challenging the prevailing cultural view of aging as a time of life that has decreasing value for the person or the community. One of the ways we do this is to live together in interdependent ways: there is no outside organization that takes care of us; rather, we organize to support ourselves and others in the community.

Day-to-Day Life at ElderSpirit Community at Trailview is managed by the Residents’ Association members themselves, with leadership selected annually through a process known as discernment. 

Each month the entire Community meets and decides issues before it.  All decisions related to community life are made by consensus where everyone’s opinion is encouraged and respected. 

We also have a “Clearing House” process where issues of an immediate nature are considered as quickly as necessary to discuss and resolve them. 

Governance is guided by the Community’s Policies and Procedures and  Bylaws.  Members commit to sharing the work that is necessary to maintain the life of the Community according to their skills and abilities.

Most residents here are also deeply engaged in the wider community that surrounds us, and give of our gifts as volunteers for a variety of organizations, whether spiritual, social, cultural, political, ecological.