Investigative Reporting Program
Aging In America
The societal and institutional barriers that prevent older adults from living with greater dignity and independence.
These stories are made possible by a grant from The SCAN Foundation.
Pets can make aging easier, but they’re expensive. CT volunteers are looking to help
Richard Tzul reports on The Senior Paw Project, a program that helps older people take care of and keep their pets.
Older Adults in Sonoma County to Get Fire-Safety Home Retrofits — for Free
Kate Raphael ('24) reports on a Sonoma County program to help older adults retrofit their homes.
Making churches more welcoming for members with dementia: ‘ We don’t want them to think they’re forgotten.’
Celeste Hamilton Dennis ('24) reports on a program to make church services more welcoming to members with dementia
Nearly 1.5 million California seniors could get help to buy food, but don’t. Here’s why
Kori Suzuki reports the latest in our coverage of Aging in American
Long-term HIV survivors find familial support in unique S.F. group home
Jeremiah Rhodes ('24) reports on older adults living with HIV, the latest in the IRP's coverage of Aging in America
How SF’s Affordable Housing Crisis Is Crushing Retirement For Its Low-Income Seniors
Chris Chang reports on how low-income seniors struggle to find housing in San Fransciso.
‘Villages’ for the aging coming to more Black communities
Myah Overstreet reports on the Kingdom Care Senior Village in the latest from our Aging in America Project.
LGBTQ seniors can struggle to find affordable housing. A Sacramento development is trying to help.
Felicia Alvarez ('23) reports on on an affordable housing community aimed at LGBTQ seniors in Sacramento.
How to keep older adults safer during heat waves? Give them housemates.
Sofie Kodner ('22) reports on intergenerational housing as a way to protect seniors during extreme heat waves.
Climate change is fueling extreme heat. Who’s looking out for the most vulnerable Americans?
Katie Rodriguez ('23) reports on the risk extreme heat poses to older Americans and how "buddy" programs are emerging to help.
In Climate-Driven Disasters, Older People and the Disabled Are Most at Risk. Now In-Home Caregivers Are Being Trained in How to Help Them
Katie Rodriguez ('23) reports how in-home caregivers are preparing for climate emergencies for the IRP's Aging in America project.
Dancing away the loneliness: In the UK, social prescriptions help fight isolation during the pandemic
Sofie Kodner ('22) and Zachary Fletcher ('22) report on social prescriptions for loneliness in older adults for the IRP's Aging in America reporting project.
No way out: How the poor get stranded in California nursing homes
Jesse Bedayn ('21) reports for CalMatters on how nursing home residents end up stuck in facilities and unable to return to the community.
How new monitoring systems keep a close watch on older people
Sofie Kodner ('22) reports on how surveillance technology is changing caregiving for older Americans.
Conversation and Cookies Lead to An Intergenerational Friendship
Zachary Fletcher ('22) reports on the friendship of octogenarian Sukari Addison and millennial Kathleen Toohill.
How Amtrak Trains Became One Retired Traveler’s Sanctuary During the Pandemic
Will McCarthy ('21) reports on one woman's trip across the country during the pandemic.
‘It makes a humongous difference’: Lack of Wi-Fi in city SROs deepens residents’ isolation
Sofie Kodner ('22) reports on lack of access to the internet in San Francisco's SRO buildings.
Extreme weather hurts older Californians. That’s started a wave of climate activism
Zachary Fletcher ('22) reports on a new wave of climate activism among older adults.
Hope and disappointment for the homeless in Oakland
Brett Simpson ('21) reports for The New York Times on a homeless couple's yearlong odyssey to find permanent housing in Oakland.
Essential caregivers were locked out of nursing homes during COVID-19. Advocates don’t want it to happen again.
Anne Marshall-Chalmers ('22) reports for USA Today on the movement to allow essential caregivers to enter nursing homes, even during a pandemic.
‘I feel freer.’ How California program helps seniors ‘age at home’ during pandemic
Jesse Bedayn ('21) reports on a California program that helps older adults age at home instead of long-term care facilities
Elderly at small residential care homes face challenges getting COVID-19 vaccine
Anne Marshall-Chalmers ('22) reports on how elderly at small residential care homes are facing challenges getting COVID-19 vaccine
‘How am I going to keep this up?’ COVID intensifies plight of family caregivers
Anne Marshall-Chalmers ('22) reports on howCOVID is intensifying the plight of family caregivers
Rapid vaccine rollout at California nursing homes raises concern
Anne Marshall-Chalmers ('22) reports on how the rapid vaccine rollout at California nursing homes is raising concerns
With COVID-19 concerns, anxious families eye in-home senior care
As part of our in-depth coverage of aging in America, Brett Simpson ('21) reports for The California Report Magazine on how some families are turning to in-home care as care homes become Covid hot spots.