Author: smk0331
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Hurricane Helene relief in Western North Carolina
Our thoughts are with those devastated by the impact of Hurricane Helene, including our partners in western North Carolina. Below are links to opportunities for those able to support affected communities in their recovery. North Carolina Disaster Relief FundContributions to the State of North Carolina’s Disaster Relief Fund are distributed to nonprofits working to serve…
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Carolina Aging Network launches May 30
The Carolina Aging Network (CAN) officially launched on May 30, 2024. CAN is a grassroots, cross-campus collaborative advancing aging-related community partnerships, education and training, and research at Carolina. On May 30, CAN members gathered at the Seymour Center in Chapel Hill to identify priorities and action steps for the coming year. The May meeting extended…
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UNC Collaboration for Aging event convenes campus-wide dialogue on aging initiatives
More than 30 faculty, staff, and students from across the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill gathered on November 30 for the first UNC Collaboration for Aging event. The dialogue explored avenues for collaboration to connect those engaged in aging-related research, education, and community engagement initiatives across campus. The event was sponsored by the UNC…
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Good-bye for Now
This is a good-bye for now. As of July 1, 2021, the wAGING change blog will go on hiatus. As the primary writer for wAGING change over the past 8 months, I have enjoyed sparking conversations about issues related to aging that prompt us all to entertain new possibilities and ways of thinking. It has…
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Legacy and Privilege
I recently heard a radio interview with poet and writer Clint Smith, author of How the Word is Passed, who recounted that visiting the National Museum of African-American History and Culture with his grandparents led him to the realization that the history of slavery in the United States was not remote. His grandfather’s grandfather had…
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Legacy and Aging
Legacy It is a word that has been assigned to the passage of wealth, to privilege granted those who have connections to important others, and to historical events that influence later generations. It is also frequently invoked as something to be considered and determined in later life: What legacy will you leave future generations? What…
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Voices from the Gulf Coast: Older Adults and Disaster in the Age of Climate Change
To close out the month of May and our discussion about climate change and aging, we welcome guest blogger Sarah Torgeson, a doctoral student in American Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill. Sarah collects oral histories from older adults experiencing climate change, and as you will note below, has a very personal connection to this topic. Welcome,…
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Victims? Villains? – or Possibly Vanguards? The Role of Aging in Climate Change
Earlier this month on the wAGING change blog, we discussed evidence of the inordinate vulnerability of older adults relative to climate change – particularly climate-related situations that may require evacuation or displacement, and those that affect food and water supplies. Both U.S. and international agencies report disproportionate numbers of older adult fatalities from climate disasters,…
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Feeling the Heat: Climate Change and Aging
Each summer energy companies across the United States give away box fans to help consumers cool their residences – AND to help mitigate high levels of energy usage by supplementing cooling through increased air circulation. There are many ways to think about these programs, not all of them benign, if we consider why they are…
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Aging Emplaced: Expanding the Concept of Aging-in-Place
The concept Aging-in-Place (AiP) has been for several decades a useful term to describe living through the end of life in places which are familiar and meaningful. It has in some realms been focused primarily on the home environment, spawning numerous business initiatives and certifications for professionals who consult with older adults about modifying their…