During a tour of the Long Beach Senior Arts Colony in California, as part of the 2014 Environments For Aging Conference earlier this month, a participant asked our guide a question about the “facility.” Immediately—but with great patience and kindness—she replied, “First of all, don’t call it a facility. It’s a residence.”
It was a reminder of how difficult it can be to talk about aging without fear of insult or appearing stupid. It’s also a reminder of how all things related to this subject—from the environments where seniors live to the ways in which society views life in your golden years—are evolving.
In a recent NPR story, “‘Silver Tsunami’ And Other Terms That Can Irk The Over-65 Set,” reporter Ina Jaffe talked about learning the difficulties in finding the right words to describe the aging population when an article ran with the word “elderly” in the headline.
"Listeners were furious," Jaffe said. "Maybe once upon a time, 'elderly' referred to a particular stage in life, but now people think … it means you're ailing and you're frail."
Among the terms she’s found acceptable to use are “older adults” or “older Americans,” and sometimes she’ll use the term “senior,” although some listeners have expressed dismay with that one, as well.
“There really aren't a lot of widely acceptable terms anymore," she said.
Another article in the news this week, “’Idiotic’ Name for Dementia Sparks China Doctors’ Protest,” highlighted the country’s desire to adopt a new term for dementia since the current one derives from two Chinese characters meaning “insane” and “idiotic.”
As this shift in attitudes and needs continues, everyone—from marketers and product manufacturers to the design community—is looking for answers.
That's where the built environment can help. As seniors demand new places to live that accommodate their lifestyle needs—think aging in place and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) instead of nursing homes and institutions—the understanding and terminology relating to them can evolve, too.
Long Beach Senior Arts Colony illustrates such a point. Our tour guide explained how the non-profit residential community, which houses artists of all backgrounds and incomes levels, has become an important part of its neighborhood.
For residents, local groups, including musicians and artists, come in to provide regular classes and programming that keep residents active and exploring new interests.
On the other hand, these groups learn something important about the residents. When a grade school class visited, she asked one student what he expected to see. “I expect to see people sitting around doing nothing.”
At the end of the tour, he told her, “I’ve learned that seniors aren’t boring.”
It's a small step in a transition to better understanding aging and long-term living environments. As boomers and other generations continue to redefine the process and what it means, we’re certain to have a lot more to discuss.
