Master of Gerontological Studies, Miami University, 2015, Gerontology

Villages are member-driven organizations that coordinate access to a wide variety of professional and nonprofessional service providers. This study examined why older adults choose to be Village members and examined membership characteristics, benefits, and satisfaction with membership. Analysis revealed that member satisfaction was very high and nearly all respondents were likely to renew their membership and recommend the Village to someone else. Referrals to vetted service providers were found to be the number one service used by Village members. Over three-quarters of respondents rated referrals as valuable or extremely valuable. The most important reasons for joining the Village were insurance, or access to services for future needs, convenience, or access to services such as home maintenance and transportation, and because the Village strengthens the community. Beacon Hill Village appears to be successful in meeting the needs of older adults and enabling them to age in the comfort of their own homes and communities for as long as possible.

Committee: Suzanne Kunkel (Committee Chair); Katherine Abbott (Committee Member); Scott Brown (Committee Member); Laura Connors (Committee Member) Subjects: Gerontology

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2015, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

The Baby Boomer generation presents a care-giving challenge for America, both financially and ideologically. Not only are they a much larger generation than their parents, but a more diverse population with an entirely different set of aspirations and fears about the aging process. Due to these demographic and cultural shifts, many community based models for senior living have emerged in the past decade, which allow seniors to age in place and maintain independence. These models challenge traditional ideas about senior living design and planning, as they abandon communities generated by proximity in favor of ones generated by social processes.

Committee: Michael McInturf M.Arch. (Committee Chair); Aarati Kanekar Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture; Icelandic and Scandinavian Literature