Age Segregation
1. "What 'age segregation' does to America", http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/08/30/what-age-segregation-does-america/o568E8xoAQ7VG6F4grjLxH/story.html
REFLECTION
Ideas of combined living: 1) Fighting the age segregation 2) Reduce the housing and settlement cost for newly moved in faculties. 3) Dealing with the high flexibility of demands on living units |
SUMMARY
American society is confronted by severe age segregation, people are hashed into different "buckets" of ages groups and their social life is restricted to their own "bucket". Study had shown that no more than 1/4 of the conversation about "important matters" happen between the elderly and people younger than 36; by excluding relatives, the figure dropped to 6% Age segregation "sow distrust and prejudice between generations, and robs people of the chance to learn from those younger and older than them". "Young people regard senior citizens as alien or feeble, and older folks dismissing younger generations as untrustworthy hooligans" Kids "develop important skills by interacting with adults and making friends of different ages, while the elderly have been shown to benefit from spending time around children." "Studies have shown that seniors in retirement homes benefit when they spend time reading to children and playing with them, while young people are given the chance to absorb wisdom and life experience." Age segregation also impair economic prosperity by neglecting potential needs. Study has shown "age segregation was related to features of antisocial behavior and to socialization for competitiveness and aggressiveness." " 'Standardization spilled over into many different facets of life,' Chudacoff says, including the way people thought about the passage of time. " Age segregation is as serious as racial segregation: Winker has found the young and the old are separated with the same degree as Hispanics and whites. |
2. New Buildings for Older People (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/opinion/sunday/new-buildings-for-older-people.html?_r=0)
SUMMARY
"Silver" Architecture, barrier free built environment for the elderly, will become a trend as a result of the Aging Society. The accessibility to different age groups should be added to the grading criteria of review and assessment of Architecture. Many health facilities have poor accessibility for the elderly. Health facilities should become a frontier for developing accessible space prototypes that is extensible to home and community design, deterring the point of elderly transferring to nursing homes. |
3. Ann Arbor: A retirement mecca (http://www.michigandaily.com/article/ann-arbor-retirement-mecca)
SUMMARY
"Ann Arbor was ranked the seventh small metropolitan city for successful aging in the United States". Opportunities for lifelong learning, rich culture and good medical program are several reasons why the elderly choose to retire here. One problem of Ann Arbor is its lack of racial diversity, discouraging elderly of minority racial groups from moving to Ann Arbor. |
4. Seniors on Campus not Your Typical Co-eds (http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-19/business/sc-cons-1018-journey-20121019_1_paula-panchuck-lasell-village-gerard-badler)
SUMMARY
"Lasell College in Newton, Mass., recently expanded its Lasell Village on-campus retirement community to include assisted living services; it offers independent living to full nursing home care"
"residents must agree to commit 450 hours per year in academic, volunteer or paid work endeavors"
"Homes at Lasell range from $300,000 to about $800,000 for 800 to 2,000 square feet, Panchuck said, and 90 percent of that cost is returned upon moving out, or goes to a resident's estate. Monthly fees average about $4,000."
SUMMARY
"Lasell College in Newton, Mass., recently expanded its Lasell Village on-campus retirement community to include assisted living services; it offers independent living to full nursing home care"
"residents must agree to commit 450 hours per year in academic, volunteer or paid work endeavors"
"Homes at Lasell range from $300,000 to about $800,000 for 800 to 2,000 square feet, Panchuck said, and 90 percent of that cost is returned upon moving out, or goes to a resident's estate. Monthly fees average about $4,000."