2Life Communities

Every 2Life campus has a unique personality, brought to life by the people who live and work there. At Shillman House, Nancy Elfland is one of those people. Nancy is a resident and a volunteer. For the past three years, she has coordinated an iced coffee social every Monday. She does it because she loves it. She enjoys conversation, and she feels good when she sees fellow residents together, happy, and chatting. But it’s also an act of service for her community.

Jonathan volunteers with Joyful Connections at 2Life's Brighton Campus, where he helps lead creative sessions designed for residents experiencing memory loss and their friends. Through art, movement, music, and more, he's seen firsthand the powerful impacts of creative expression.

For Jonathan, what stands out most is watching residents connect with and support each other, transcending age, language barriers, and life experiences.

Lena volunteers at Golda Meir House, helping residents get the most out of all types of technology. She contributes her knowledge to the community but receives much in return, such as the satisfaction of seeing residents master new skills or the inspiration that comes from hearing their life stories. As Lena says, their lessons are not something you can learn from a book.

Ken Stern of the Stanford Center of Longevity was told over and over again to visit 2Life to see what safe, attractive, supportive, and socially engaged housing for low-income seniors can look like when it’s done right. He and colleague Alice Winkler visited for two days last spring — and here’s what they learned.

Listen to the Beyond Four Walls episode of the podcast Century Lives: The Home Stretch on Spotify, linked below, or on your favorite streaming platform.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1CHO1Ie5uMHKKN4u2VYogb