Thoughts from Lizbeth Heyer, 2Life Vice President: Realizing our vision for aging in community

Creating beautiful and functional places that support health and inspire joy is at the heart of our aging in community model. This commitment encompasses everything we do — from developing creative approaches to the design and construction of our buildings and outdoor spaces to innovating for accessibility, affordability, sustainability, and healthy living in housing for older adults.

In this issue of Elevate, we are focusing on 2Life’s design practice —an innovative approach developed in partnership with leading architects and builders with barrier-free design and fully adaptable features as its foundation. This multidimensional practice encompasses everything from recognizing the importance of natural light, healthy air, and active outdoor spaces to dementia-friendly design and inspired spaces that encourage meaningful human interactions.

Realizing this vision, however, takes more than creative design. It requires funding and support for a development approach that recognizes the true value — and cost — of aging in community. 2Life is actively engaged in both advocacy and philanthropy to drive this transformation.

Our advocacy focuses on impacting the policies that govern the design and funding of subsidized housing. We are working to help policymakers recognize the value of design and building practices that improve residents’ physical, mental, and social health so they will enact policies and guidelines that support these practices. We are particularly focused on advocating for adaptable design features such as bigger bathrooms and kitchens that can be easily modified for people with mobility impairments and gracious community spaces that foster social connection.

A notable result of 2Life’s advocacy was the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ adoption in 2019 of senior housing design standards influenced by 2Life’s design guidelines. Our advocacy work also focuses on driving change in the funding of senior housing with capital funds that support aging in community building features and ongoing operating support to provide affordability for residents.

Our philanthropic efforts are driven by the knowledge that, even with greater government support, subsidies alone are not enough to realize our full vision of aging in community. Enlisting the support of donors who embrace 2Life’s approach is essential to our ability to set a new standard in housing for older adults. We treasure the relationships we have built with donors who share and generously support our mission through a variety of philanthropic activities, including named gifts for buildings and program spaces that honor a loved one or a family. You will find one such example in this issue’s story about Merle and James Grandberg.

Creating the future of senior housing requires a holistic approach to change that encompasses every aspect — from rethinking design to reshaping public policy and fostering philanthropy. At 2Life, we’re proud to be leading the charge.

I hope you will join us in our mission to redefine aging in community.