Maria Dwight

Maria B. Dwight
Born
Maria B. Dwight
NationalityAmerican
EducationUSC[1]
Alma materHampshire College[1]
Occupationconsultant
Years active40+
EmployerGerontological Services Inc.
AwardsElvira Whiting
Ball Award (2010)[2]
Websitewww.gsi-consulting.org

Maria B. Dwight is an American activist[3] with a particular focus on improving lives for the aging and elderly, particularly regarding housing issues.[4] She is a planner of multicultural communities as well as a consultant notable for having a center in Holyoke named after her called the Maria B. Dwight Geriatric and Rehabilitation Center in 1977.[3] Her views on issues affecting the elderly have been quoted in USA Today[5][6] and the New York Times.[7] She works in Santa Monica, California.

Regarding the issue of the elderly and community, she said:

This old idea of being born in a town that you grow up in and know everybody is quite absent now ... The whole concept of community has changed dramatically in the last few decades, and now people are looking for ways to socialize. Instead of sitting around growing old and moaning, they want to talk about plays, where they traveled, and be with people who like the same thing. If traditional housing providers don’t create these options, you’re going to see people doing it on their own. -- Maria Dwight, 2007[7]

Dwight has commented on issues relating to the gay community regarding aging; she said that gay men and lesbians are often closer to gay "families of choice" rather than to their biological families and she finds a strong need for communities to serve the elderly population in urban areas.[1] She contributed $200 to oppose a ban on gay marriage according to the Los Angeles Times.[8] She believes that as the baby boomer generation moves into retirement, there will be a "two-class society" and that boomers will be agents of change regarding the health care system.[9] She said:

I don’t think the boomers have a clue what they will want when they are old. I don’t think many people do. It will be a service-oriented society and it will be a two-class society. I think the first time the boomers ever bumped into the health system—the real health system—was with their parents, and they are disgusted. They will create some change in the next 10 years.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Maria B. Dwight". GSI. 2010-12-27. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  2. ^ "Maria Dwight honored with Elvira Whiting Ball Award". Loomis Communities. May 27, 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-27. Maria B. Dwight has been named the recipient of the Loomis Communities 2010 Elvira Whiting Ball Award....
  3. ^ a b "Maria Dwight honored with Elvira Whiting Ball Award". Loomis Communities. May 27, 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-27. As a community activist in Holyoke in the 1960s and 1970s, ... In recognition of her efforts, the Maria B. Dwight Geriatric and Rehabilitation Center was named in 1977.
  4. ^ "Maria Dwight honored with Elvira Whiting Ball Award". Loomis Communities. May 27, 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-27. Maria's own work over the past 40 years has challenged stereotypes of aging and ability at every level. She envisions, and has planned, varied and multicultural communities that focus on keeping people healthy through preventive healthcare, supported autonomy and personal choice all over the world.
  5. ^ John Ritter (July 5, 2006). "Gay seniors settle into a niche". USA Today. Retrieved 2010-12-27. Gay men and lesbians, often closer to gay "families of choice" than to their biological families, seek shared values and interests in retirement. "I find this very strong search for community," says Maria Dwight ...
  6. ^ a b Lisa Leff, The Associated Press (Feb 16, 2007). "At some retirement homes, it's senior seniors vs. junior seniors". USA Today. Retrieved 2010-12-27. Maria Dwight, a Santa Monica-based consultant who helps plan and market senior-citizen housing, says older residents do not want to pay for perks they won't use, and they can be resistant to change. "They don't see the facilities with fresh eyes," she says. "So the carpet is a little worn, so what? They are living there. They are comfortable."
  7. ^ a b TIM NEVILLE (April 6, 2007). "Birds of a Feather". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-12-27. Boomers and their children have moved frequently and are often scattered across the country. As a result, said Maria Dwight, chief executive of Gerontological Services, a Santa Monica, Calif., group that studies housing for the over-55 set, many in the next wave of retirees will look for places among peers who share their interests.
  8. ^ "Proposition 8: Who gave in the gay marriage battle?". Los Angeles Times: Politics. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
  9. ^ reporter for FutureAge (2010-12-27). "Maria Dwight Interview". American Association of Homes & Services for the Aging. Retrieved 2010-12-27. I don't think the boomers have a clue what they will want when they are old. I don't think many people do. It will be a service-oriented society and it will be a two-class society. I think the first time the boomers ever bumped into the health system—the real health system—was with their parents, and they are disgusted. They will create some change in the next 10 years.


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