Being Mortal

(Martin Jones) #1

father, she had no inkling of this ferment. The vast
majority of places that existed for someone like him
remaineddepressinglypenitentiary.Andyetnewplaces
andprogramsattemptingtoremakedependentlivinghad
begun springing up across the country and the city.


IntheBostonsuburbs,justtwentyminutes’drivefrom
myhome,therewasanewretirementcommunitycalled
NewBridgeontheCharles.Itwasbuiltonthestandard
continuum-of-care framework—there’s independent
living,assistedliving,andanursinghomewing.Butthe
nursinghomethatIsawonavisitnotlongagolooked
nothing like the ones I was familiar with. Instead of
housing sixty peopleto a floor in shared roomsalong
endlesshospital corridors,NewBridge wasdividedinto
smallerpodshousingnomorethansixteenpeople.Each
podwascalleda“household”andwasmeanttofunction
likeone.Theroomswereallprivate,andtheywerebuilt
around a common living area with a dining room,
kitchen, and activity room—like a home.


The households were human size, which was a key
intention.Research has found thatin units with fewer
than twentypeople there tends to be less anxiety and
depression,moresocializingandfriendship,anincreased
senseofsafety,andmoreinteractionwithstaff—evenin
caseswhenresidentshavedevelopeddementia.Butthere
wasmoreto thedesignthanjust size.Thehouseholds
were built specifically to avoid the feel of a clinical
setting. The open design let residents see what others
wereupto,encouragingthemtojoinin.Thepresenceof
acentralkitchenmeantthat,ifapersonfeltlikehavinga
snack,heorshecouldgohaveasnack.Juststandingand

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