Seniors Reach Beyond Family Ties

"The biggest problem with a suburban area is not only knowing everybody from different communities, but transportation," Potter said. "We've had to learn a lot."

The organizers are working on the assumption that Mount Vernon at Home's membership would include anyone in the Zip codes 22307, 22306, 22308 and 22309.

"We don't want to attract more people than we can manage," said Julie Anne Curtis, 66, a retired teacher who lives in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County and serves on a committee exploring medical services. She said her committee has been evaluating nearby retirement centers that offer short-term respite stays, allowing a person to recuperate after a debilitating operation or illness before returning home.

To be sustainable, Mount Vernon at Home would need a minimum of 350 members, even if it had fewer at the start, Potter said. Dues would be $900 to $1,200 a year. The revenue would help support a small staff, including an executive director, and the leasing of an office. Volunteers also would be necessary.

So far, residents from 52 to 92 have expressed interest or volunteered to help pull the organization together, Potter said. One woman told her that "she's given up everything but bridge for us."

One thorny issue is whether dues should be graduated so that younger members, who would presumably need fewer services, would pay less. Potter said the group was not inclined to set up such a scale because of the organizational challenge and fairness.

"You don't know when you're going to get sick," Potter said.