What does home mean to you? When we’re starting our careers and families, it’s a question we often answer unconsciously as we make in-the-moment life decisions. On the other side of middle age, though, the concept becomes more complex and tends to require more deliberate planning. Is home a structure in which we live? Is it a neighborhood, a rural setting, a place shared with others? Or is it something bigger that begins with relationships, trust, and interdependence?
Calling Home is a Citizens League-led project to prompt intergenerational dialogue on these sorts of questions, which involves considering variables such as self-care, health care, mobility, and retirement planning. In September, with the help of 11 partner organizations, the initiative rolled out its website, at callinghome.org, which features a senior-friendly interface and state-of-the-art design to engage users of all ages.
“Because this project is addressing aging from a multigenerational perspective, we wanted to create a site that feels friendly and accessible—and also clean and contemporary,” says site architect Bryn Bundlie. “Aesthetically this means easy-to-read large type, negative space to rest the eye, and full screen imagery to help break up content. The site is also one continuous scroll, which will help users digest the information instead of getting distracted or lost clicking on menu options.”
Short, lively videos (produced by Twin Cities PBS), discussion guides, and resource sections on topics including Health & Vitality and the Art of Caregiving are designed to immediately engage visitors as participants. There are no product endorsements or false promises, just important facts and moving testimony from a diversity of voices. “While doing research for this project, I came across a lot of sites that housed useful information on the process of aging. But it was oftentimes buried,” says Bundlie. “Our intent was to build a pragmatic, stripped-down experience focusing on essential information and the positive aspects of the aging process.”
Visit callinghome.org.