The historical paradigm for aging is nearly always one of displacement. In the best cases this suggests “snow-bird” retirees, but the reality is likely closer to a hospital. This altered lifestyle often involves leaving behind the objects, daily patterns, communities, and relationships. The end result being one of isolation in a facility organized around medicine – away from friends, community, and the countless other amenities that a mobile lifestyle provides.
The response to this, as envisioned by students Benjhamin Callam and Joseph Littrell of the University of Pennsylvania, is to support community with just as much importance as the medical advances that support the individual. Read the rest of this entry »