On Aging

If you sit too much during middle age — at work and at home — your ability to exercise or even walk in late decades is at risk, research hints. And, of course, your risk of heart disease climbs, too.

As people get older, brain waves that occur during deep sleep become less synchronized. This appears to disrupt a system that saves new memories.

Hundreds of "villages" have been created across the country as a "grass-roots movement on the part of older people who did not want to be patronized, isolated, [or] infantilized."

Americans are maintaining independence thanks to something called Villages — local membership organizations that provide access to services that help older adults stay in their homes as they age. But how is that model being adapted when it comes to mountain communities, like those of rural Plumas County in northern California?

In its 17 years, the "village movement" — that aims to let the elderly age in their homes — has taken root mostly in well-off, white communities. Activists are now trying to adapt it to poorer, minority communities, such as the Englewood neighborhood in south Chicago.

The so-called "village movement" coordinates crucial services for the elderly, allowing many to age in their homes. It's now expanded to 200 spots around the U.S., as advocates adapt the model to different communities.