By Julie Dalton, Executive Director, Gramatan Village 

Feb. 8, 2017:  Gramatan Village will host a "viewing party" at the Bronxville Library in its Yeager Room on Monday, February 13, to see a simulcast from Boston of a speech by Dr. Atul Gawande, a renowned surgeon and public health researcher. A reception will follow.

The speech, which begins at 5:00 pm, is in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the founding of Beacon Hill Village and the subsequent Village Movement that its innovative model inspired, including the founding of Bronxville's Gramatan Village. 

Dr. Gawande's presentation, titled "Being Mortal's Villages: The Value of Community and Choice as We Grow Older," will be moderated by Robin Young, host of NPR's Here & Now, and feature a discussion on aging, living life with purpose, and how we can transform the possibilities for the later chapters in everyone's lives.

Community and choice are concepts long honored across the United States. They are also among the life-altering concepts in Dr. Gawande's seminal book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End and the underlying principles of Beacon Hill Village, whose founders were determined to remain in their own homes as they aged. 

To accomplish this goal, the founders created a "virtual village," which opened in Boston's Beacon Hill in January of 2002 and enabled people over 50 years of age the option of choosing how and where they live as they grow older. The concepts behind Beacon Hill Village have spread across the country, thus creating a "Village Movement," and have attracted the interest of many countries around the world.  

One of the great issues worldwide today is how to support and care for aging populations. By 2030, twenty percent of our nation's population will be over 65, an estimated 83 million people. The numbers are even larger in many countries around the world. The Village concept and Dr. Gawande's profound understanding of the importance of community and choice offer valuable insights and solutions for this challenging phenomenon. 

The Village Movement is a burgeoning worldwide movement that champions an alternative approach for adults as they grow older. Villages are unique in that they supply counseling and some services to older adults, empowering them to make wise, safe, and vibrant choices about how they wish to live.

For more information about or reservations for this event, please call Gramatan Village at 914-337-1338 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  All are welcome, but reservations are strongly recommended. 

Pictured here:  Dr. Atul Gawande.

Photo courtesy Julie Dalton, Executive Director, Gramatan Village