An Apple A Day
a series to mend and explore experiences of care (or lack of) as we age.
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is a 19th century adage, not necessarily true, but could be seen as a daily practice of care.
I am curious how we can connect the act of care for our objects and spaces to how we care for our own bodies and for others.
This series is developed with a collective of diverse menders who want to talk about getting older and our health. I believe repair can empower people and be an entry point to discuss deeper issues and our hands can be tools for telling a story. Our time together is a testing ground for conversations, mending, sharing resources, and making connections. It includes members that span across the United States and a few in the UK and Europe. We work together in-person and virtually - allowing for easier accessibility and a diversity of mindsets.
Together, we collectively decide on the framework of interaction, the topics we discuss, and outcomes we want to share beyond.
If you are interested in being part of the collective in some capacity, please fill out this 5-minute survey to join the waitlist.
Topics we discuss:
+ Relationships to doctors
+ Long term illness + transitions in aging
+ Ill loved ones + caretakers
+ End of life decisions
Intended atmosphere:
+ Always warm, soft, supportive
+ Always apple-something to share
+ Always mending
Format:
+ Open enough to shift as time progresses
+ Rotating facilitator
+ Supplemental readings or other media
+ Space to work on projects
Collective:
+ Diversity of people, especially in age
+ Healthcare experts and everyday people
+ Ability to mend or willingness to learn
+ Relationships to doctors
+ Long term illness + transitions in aging
+ Ill loved ones + caretakers
+ End of life decisions
Intended atmosphere:
+ Always warm, soft, supportive
+ Always apple-something to share
+ Always mending
Format:
+ Open enough to shift as time progresses
+ Rotating facilitator
+ Supplemental readings or other media
+ Space to work on projects
Collective:
+ Diversity of people, especially in age
+ Healthcare experts and everyday people
+ Ability to mend or willingness to learn
Inspiration:
In the 2017 essay titled “The Heroism of Incremental Care,” doctor and surgeon Atul Gowande examines how the United State’s healthcare system does not adequately value services that improve people's lives over the long term. For example, specialists like cardiologists make twice the income of a general practitioner (GP). Yet, there is incredible power in providing access to GPs. By building rapport and trust and making small, incremental changes, one can experience a big difference in their quality of life. GPs actually lower mortality rates and can extend people’s lives up to 10 years, saving the healthcare industry money in the long run. Dr. Gowande goes on to highlight the parallels in the United State’s infrastructure system. For instance, we spend more money on creating new bridges then simply maintaining the old ones. We don’t see the value in the incremental, the invisible, or the old. As we age, we often are treated much like a worn out object - pushed out of society and ignored.
In the 2017 essay titled “The Heroism of Incremental Care,” doctor and surgeon Atul Gowande examines how the United State’s healthcare system does not adequately value services that improve people's lives over the long term. For example, specialists like cardiologists make twice the income of a general practitioner (GP). Yet, there is incredible power in providing access to GPs. By building rapport and trust and making small, incremental changes, one can experience a big difference in their quality of life. GPs actually lower mortality rates and can extend people’s lives up to 10 years, saving the healthcare industry money in the long run. Dr. Gowande goes on to highlight the parallels in the United State’s infrastructure system. For instance, we spend more money on creating new bridges then simply maintaining the old ones. We don’t see the value in the incremental, the invisible, or the old. As we age, we often are treated much like a worn out object - pushed out of society and ignored.