Simulcast of Surgeon Atul Gawande's Talk About Community and Aging at The Seattle Public Library Sept. 25
release date: September 18, 2017
The Seattle Public Library will host a nationwide simulcast of best-selling author and surgeon Atul Gawande's talk, "Being Mortal's Village: The Value of Community and Choice as We Grow Older," from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25 at the Douglass-Truth Branch, 2300 E. Yesler Way, 206-684-4704 .
Library events are free and open to the public. Registration is not required.
Gawande will be in conversation with Robin Young, host of NPR's "Here & Now." Discussion topics will cover aging, living life with purpose and how we can transform the possibilities for the later chapters of everyone's lives.
The simulcast will take place in Boston to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the founding of Beacon Hill Village, a nonprofit network that helps its members lead active, healthy lives in their own homes and neighborhoods as they age. More than 150 locations across the U.S. will be participating via live streaming to celebrate the village that started a movement.
Gawande is a surgeon, public health researcher and writer. While the title of his 2014 book "Being Mortal" alludes to death, the stories in it are actually about life. He describes people's efforts to maintain autonomy as they age in the face of ingrained habits, cultural expectations and one-size-fits-all corporate offerings. He includes Beacon Hill Village and the village model as an option for assisting older adults in their efforts, which has often meant providing services and extending community to people who want to remain in their own homes and enjoy the rich stew of activities, attributes and attitudes that engage the community's older adult population.
Beacon Hill Village Inc. is a nonprofit that gives members, who are 50 and older, the practical means and confidence to live their lives to the fullest in their own homes as they grow older. In 1999, a group of friends gathered to talk about their future in central Boston. They wanted more freedom and control over their lives as they aged. They also wanted to be active, taking care of themselves and each other, rather than being taken care of. The Village Movement was born by the formation of Beacon Hill Village. Today there are over 200 open Villages and more than 150 in development in 45 states and the District of Columbia.