I wrote the following comment to the article:
"Many of us in the field of aging have moved on from the goal of assisting people to "age in place" to helping them to "age in community" for the very reasons Paula Span cites in her article. Without a community of neighbors and professionals, seniors may very well become isolated at home. Creating communities where people can age at home requires planning, commitment and public resources. As the director of a NORC (naturally occurring retirement community) program, I feel city and state-funded NORC programs are excellent models for "aging in community."