St. Francis Country House, Darby, PA. Photo courtesy of Jack Carman, Design for Generations
In the year 2000, there were 35 million older people (ages 65 and over) in the United States. In 2030, that number will be to 70 million. That’s a lot of millions. How are we going to prepare for this “gray tsunami”? One answer is designing environments that better serve an aging population, one that includes baby boomers who want to remain independent and active as they grow older.
Environments for Aging is the foremost conference on design of the built environment, including residential and long-term care, for older people. It will take place March 20-22, 2011 in Atlanta, GA. Attendees can earn up to 15 CEUs, and save up to $440, by registering before January 7th. Who should attend: Architects; owners; developers; facilities managers; design professionals; product manufacturers; government officials; gerontologists & other aging experts.
Therapeutic Landscapes Network folks will be especially interested in the following:
- Tour of Wesley Woods Center, Emory University Hospital’s specialty geriatric component of Emory Healthcare. Located on a 64-acre woodland campus, Wesley Woods boasts walking trails, horticultural therapy and other ways to connect older adults with nature.
- Walking and Independence – Design and Planning for Seniors, with presenter Zhe Wang (see Monday education sessions and scroll down for description)
- Increasing Physical Activity through Access to Nature, with presenter Susan Rodiek (get the DVD series that this presentation will be based on! Read this TLN Blog post about it and use the special access code for a discount on the DVDs).
Read on for more information from the Environments for Aging website… (more…)