welcome to the engAging project.
Here in Maine, across the U.S. and internationally, loneliness among older adults is a growing injustice and public health priority.
This is a collection of stories of older adults aging in place, sourced in Maine, all the way to Chile, told with photos and voices.
Dive in to discover roots of loneliness and antidotes which all age-friendly communities can, and increasingly do, embrace.
this is a resource for engaging while aging — engAging.
come onboard.
1
get some back story.
Understand why loneliness is a public health priority for age-friendly communities.
Learn how this project responds.
2
see & hear people.
Take an audio-visual (voice & photo) dive into the varied experiences & ideas of older adults who are lonely, engaged, and in between.
Hear how participants age, and engAge, in place in similar and diverging ways.
3
take a bird’s-eye view.
These stories give common answers to some key questions:
What is loneliness in the words of older adults? Why is it different than social isolation?
What are common qualities of engAging community resources?
What patterns emerge in who remains lonely? What can be done locally?
4
stock your toolkit.
Time to get out there and encourage aging in community, and, with that, in good health.
If you are an older adult, a family member, or other support, learn how to encourage rewarding, healthy social engagement.
If you provide for others in your community, learn how professionals strategize about this work currently, and where they see gaps to address next. Figure out how you can help.