Aging in Community at Camphill Village Kimberton Hills

"For age is opportunity no less than youth itself, tho', in another dress. And as the evening twilight fades away, the sky is filled with stars, invisible by day."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Aging in Community at Camphill Village Kimberton Hills: life in Serena House

When Serena House was built in the mid 2000s, the question was often asked: " How is Serena House different than other village houses?"

With the opening of Serena House, Camphill Kimberton manifested in brick and mortar its hope that people here would have a home until their earthly home is no longer necessary. This house was designed for possibilities that await us as we age, as the physical body needs more environmental support.  As with other village houses, it has been made a home, with its residents offering each other the care and sustenance of family, embedded in the fabric of the community.  

Serena House exemplifies how normal it is to age and eventually to die.  It is an education and a challenge to the community to offer the setting and support where this can happen, as a celebration of a life fully affirmed. 

In a community, one forms relationships.  Out of these relationships, love and caring for the other is awakened and is practiced in daily life together.  We all need to be live with dignity, to have choices, to help protect, sustain and nurture, and to be engaged in meaningful activity.  This happens at Serena House and within Aging in Community.