[Berkeley, CA, June 8, 2022] — At Home With Growing Older today announces it has awarded the 2022 Impact Award to the renowned geriatrician from the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Louise Aronson. The award, presented by Susanne Stadler, Executive Director of At Home With Growing Older, honors individuals whose work has had a lasting positive impact on the experiences of later life.
Stadler said, “Our annual agein pays homage to the sit-in movements of the 1960s. Bringing people together for community, common vision, and conversation, are the most powerful tools to effect change. And, the field of aging stands to benefit by not only bridging across disciplines but also across generations, engaging all of us as stakeholders in our shared future.”
Dr. Aronson is renowned for her pioneering work in medicine in geriatrics, research, and writing, as well as her entrepreneurial drive and generous spirit. Aronson is also a New York Times best-selling author for her book, Elderhood.
The award was officially announced during At Home With Growing Older’s third annual agein on June 4, 2022, at the Destiny Arts Center in Oakland, California. The theme of the event was Elder Wisdom: An Overlooked Resource for Trying Times, and included panelists:
- Sarah Crowell, co-founder and artistic director emerita of Destiny Arts Center;
- Sasha Johfre, Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at Stanford University;
- Amy Meyer, known as the “Mother of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area” and author of “New Guardians for the Golden Gate: How America Got a Great National Park;”
- Sandy Mori, social justice advocate and co-founder of Kimochi, Inc., a nonprofit organization serving Japanese American Elders, and
- Jennie Chin Hansen, former Executive Director of OnLok, which became the prototype for the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), which was established through federal law as well as past CEO of the American Geriatrics Society and past President of 38 million member AARP.
“This year’s theme is a direct response to the urgent and unprecedented array of challenges we are facing. To address and solve these challenges we’re facing today, we need to conduct a ‘wisdom search’ so we turned to trailblazing, women leaders who know that, in order to solve the challenges of today, it’s imperative that we bring generations together. Each of our speakers shared her recipe for success, including how to commit to a vision for the future and how to connect across generations. I’m inspired by what they’ve demonstrated is possible and their unwavering commitment to bringing about unimaginable change,” said Stadler.
The event was presented through sponsorship from Rhoda Goldman Plaza, The Wallis Annenberg GenSpace, Full Sleep, the Community Living Campaign, Homewatch CareGivers, the Modern Elder Academy, Scott & Warner Builders, Inc., and contributions from Chronicle Books, Bloomsbury, the ARC, and OneBrick.
About At Home With Growing Older
In 2009, Susanne Stadler, an architect, and Natasha Boissier, a social worker, co-founded At Home With Growing Older (AHWGO) with the mission to: educate, inspire, and connect people across generations and disciplines to re-envision and improve the experiences of later life. AHWGO believes that everyone ought to have the freedom to age with dignity. That’s why our team of volunteers focuses on education, interconnectedness and integrated solutions that can revolutionize the way we talk about aging and the way we age.
What began as a small grassroots organization committed to the experiences of later life has grown into an ever-expanding non-profit with a wide network across the Bay Area and rapidly growing nationwide audience. Through interdisciplinary forums, workshops and partnerships with other organizations, AHWGO is changing the aging process, particularly in the context of the home.