Our Vision: A community that values people in every stage of life.

Our Mission: To provide collaborative faith-based services that meet the health and wellness needs of the whole person.

The Harpeth Hills Resource Center on Aging has a mission to provide collaborative faith-based services that meet the health and wellness needs of the whole person. The church at Harpeth Hills recognizes that faith development is a continuum that extends from birth until death. Furthermore the church should be a place that enhances the aging experience by helping older adults finds meaning and purpose in their lives. Some of the strategies that the Resource Center will employ to act on this belief include:

• Providing educational resources for professional and general public use
• Offer counseling services for families facing eldercare issues
• Conduct seminars and workshops for general audiences
• Develop and offer leadership programs for faith communities
• Engage older adults in productive living
• Market the Center to a wide variety of audiences
• Exercise exceptional stewardship of resources

The Resource Center on Aging provides both the community of believers at Harpeth Hills and the broader community the opportunity to embrace the wisdom and rich heritage embodied in each of our older adults.

Our goal at Harpeth Hills is to value all of life…from birth to death… and to provide for those in every stage of that spectrum a unique place within our fellowship. Aging occurs throughout our life-span as does the maturing of our faith. And so, the loving church creates an environment in which older adults see themselves fitting into their world and understanding the role they play in a way that gives a reason to live with purpose and meaning.

At Harpeth Hills, we based our older adult ministry on spirituality, providing enrichment opportunities, stressing the needs of the whole person (mind, body, spirit), encouraging social interaction and engaging the individual in service to God and others. Expanding our older adult ministry beyond our own church family led to the creation of the Harpeth Hills Resource Center on Aging.

Our Harpeth Hills Resource Committee helped bring together our center. The members of our Resource Committee are: Kathy Clark, Doug Cope, Randy Gott, Greg Hardeman, Don Holladay, Mary Ann Hooper, Dr. John Netterville, Donna Randolph, Harold Sparks, Turney Stevens, Dr. Hyatt Sutton, Dr. Jim Vaillancourt and Jo Wright.

As we expanded our ministry to embrace the larger community, we created an Advisory Group to allow our program to create and advance community partnerships among healthcare, religious, social and civic organizations. We want to join with other community entities that can work in partnership with us such as universities, hospitals, hospice care agencies and aging service-oriented organizations. We all bring a valuable piece to the table.

HARPETH HILLS RESOURCE CENTER ON AGING ADVISORY GROUP

Van Cluck, MBA, CASP, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, The Blakeford in Green Hills.

Richard Gentzler, D.Min, CSA, Director, Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries, General Board of Discipleship, United Methodist Church. Author, Aging: God’s Challenge to Church and Synagogue.

Mary Harkleroad, LCSW, Psychiatric Consultants. Geriatric Evaluation and Family Services Clinic.

Barbara J. Helm, MA, Educational Services Coordinator, Council on Aging, University of Kentucky College of Public Health.

Janet L. Jones, R.N., B.S.N., FAAMA, President/CEO, Alive Hospice.

Suzanne Rueb, PhD, NHA, CGS, Centennial Medical Center. Director of Center for Healthy Living.

James Vaillancourt, PhD, Senior Consultant and former Executive Director, Center for Non-Profit Management.

Stacia Vetter, CLU, CLTC, National HealthCare Corporation, Assistant Vice President and LTC Insurance Specialist.

Bruce D. White, D.O., J.D., St. Joseph’s Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona. Director, Pediatric Palliative Care and Clinical Ethics. Professor and Director, Healthcare Ethics and Law Institute, Samford University.

Sarah J. White, NSN, RNCS, GNP, FNP, Director of Education, Inspiris. Inspired care for the frail elderly and providers of nurse practitioners for long-term care.

Tonya Zuckerman, BSW, Founder and President, Senior Pathways, a referral service for older adults and their families.

Please contact James Vandiver – Older Adult Minister at 373-0601, Ext. 112 for more information.