About Us
At Home With Growing Older, AHWGO, is a nonprofit based in Berkeley, California, that brings together professionals, academics and interested individuals to re-envision and improve the experiences of later life.
What began as a small grassroot organization committed to the experiences of later life has grown into an ever-expanding nonprofit with a wide national network. Through interdisciplinary forums, workshops and partnerships with other organizations, AHWGO is changing the aging process, particularly in the context of home.
AHWGO believes that everyone ought to have the freedom to age with dignity. That’s why our team focuses on education, interconnectedness and integrated solutions that can revolutionize the way we talk about aging and the way we age in our homes.
Our Mission
At Home With Growing Older’s mission is to educate, inspire and connect people across generations and disciplines to re‑envision and improve the experiences of later life in the context of home.
Our Vision
A society in which the infrastructure is set up so that people who are aging have full access to the support they need to choose how and where they will age and can do so with dignity and delight.
Our Perspective
- We are leaders in a growing movement, believing that interdisciplinary and intergenerational collaboration are key to providing services, infrastructure, and homes that meet the needs and desires of an aging population
- We focus on the home and its context, more than an institutional environment, to foster healthy aging
- We’re inspired by good design and believe that joy and delight are integral to any solution to compensate for the sometimes not-so-fun realities of growing older
Our Programs
- At Home, On Air | Live, online forums and podcast
- Aging 360 workshops | 3-sesson workshop offered online & in-person
- agein | Annual in-person event held in the Bay Area; typically in June
- Something to Write Home About | Our monthly resource letter
Our Beginnings
At Home with Growing Older (AHWGO) is rooted in interdisciplinary collaboration, launched in 2009 by Susanne Stadler, an architect, and Natasha Boissier, a social worker. AHWGO was founded out of indignation about the poor options offered when we reach a certain age, from healthcare to housing, and with the hope that change is possible.
Susanne Stadler:
“My inspiration for founding AHWGO was providing more design excellence for the challenges of later life.”
My Berkeley liberal friend and landlady Jean was uprooted from her beloved home and moved to a retirement facility, where she soon passed away. She was deprived of her identity and her new home was not a home at all. I wanted to change this story for other people.
Natasha Boissier:
“My inspiration for founding AHWGO was my grandmother, who has been the pillar of our family; and, ensuring people of all ages are valued as resources and contributors.”
When Susi approached me about founding AHWGO, I immediately jumped on board. I have witnessed what an amazing resource older adults are.