Moving Beyond Place: Aging in Community

Western culture has constructed a continuum that positions institutional long-term care at one end of a spectrum, and an idealized vision of aging in place at the other. The challenge is to escape this false choice. This US article looks at a third way of aging - "aging in community". People working together can create mutually supportive neighborhoods to enhance well-being and quality of life for older people at home and as integral members of the community. This is the essence of aging in community.