Aging

Oakland, CA

A Senior Theatre Company that uses theatre and storytelling to bridge generation gaps and break down stereotypes about aging.

More than 35 million Americans are over 65, and that population is rising at an unprecedented rate.  The MetLife Mature Market Institute recently responded to this shift with “The MetLife Report on Aging in Place 2.0: Rethinking Solutions to the Home Care Challenge.”  The report serves as a “blueprint” for helping our growing population of older adults stay in their homes, or, “age in place”, through adjustments to residential design, health care, and other services.  Click here to read the full news release (PDF). Or Download the Report here.

More than 35 million Americans are over 65, and that population is rising at an unprecedented rate.  The MetLife Mature Market Institute recently responded to this shift with “The MetLife Report on Aging in Place 2.0: Rethinking Solutions to the Home Care Challenge.”  The report serves as a “blueprint” for helping our growing population of older adults stay in their homes, or, “age in place”, through adjustments to residential design, health care, and other services.  Click here to read the full news release (PDF).

Older adults face limited access to mobility alternatives when public busses are more of an inconvenience then the city had originally intended. For one, city bus routes are often mapped out mainly for commuters, taking riders to the commercial center for work and back out to the suburbs. This often necessitates long and unnecessary trips with transfers to travel around the urban fringe. In addition, buses to the commercial center can be in such a hurry they begin to move before the passenger can even begin to balance and sit down.

What if your refrigerator gave you breakfast suggestions? Or your bed checked you for health problems while you slept? Our aging population is spurring the creation of a host of friendly household gadgets, including everything from floors that absorb the impact of falls, to mattress pads that assess vital signs and alert health care professionals to any irregularities. Outside the home, technology is in the works to create personalized radio frequency identification cards, which can tell grocery shelves to lower to your eye level or help gym machines adjust to your ability.

The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is exploring advances like these, along with the physical and emotional experience of aging, in their project “Brave Old World.”