Ohio University alum Barbara Conover ’87 is the new executive director of the Athens Village, a group of Athens-area seniors committed to their own independent living, reports the Athens Messenger.
Conover earned a B.A. in Psychology from the College of Arts & Sciences at OHIO.
Barbara Conover
Conover knows local seniors and their housing issues well, having served as executive director of Three Rivers Housing Corporation from 1992 to 2015. With Three Rivers Housing of The Plains, she helped initiate projects that included apartment units especially made for seniors, included those with mobility issues….
The Athens Village consists of nearly 100 seniors who are provided membership services. Those services include a local handyman, David North, who also works at Hocking College. North is busy this time of year helping seniors check their furnaces and take down their holiday lights if needed, she said.
One of Conover’s main duties in serving village members is to maintain an extensive list of vetted service providers when substantial work goes beyond a handyman — such as certified plumbers, carpenters, heating and cooling professionals, landscapers, and electricians. The village is constantly asking for survey feedback from seniors to ensure the best services are being provided, she said.
Beyond the handyman and letting senior members know where to go for services, The Athens Village is about people who care enough about living independently to look out for each other. The group was formed in 2009 as part of a nationwide movement known as “the silver tsunami,” one in which seniors in in aging U.S. population determined that strength in numbers meant better prospects for living independently — especially if members invested each year in their own independence.
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