Aging Well in an Intentional Intergenerational Community

Abstract

The graying of the world's population is producing dramatic age trends that are creating both challenges and opportunities. Major transitions in later life too often lead to social isolation, depression, and illness. The older adults at Hope Meadows, an intentional intergenerational community in the United States, seem to be defying a degenerative model of aging. They have found ways to overcome pain, discomfort, and disability. Using an interpretive ethnographic framework, we examined the connections between meaningful intergenerational relationships, purposeful engagement in an intentional community, and aging well.