SOWING SEEDS OF CHANGE ph&fax
Monica Eastway ’21 (MS in Gerontology) is Shaping the Future of Aging
In a world where the number of older adults continues to rise, many find themselves isolated and disconnected from the very thing that can help them live healthier, more fulfilling lives: nature. Traditional models of care, often rooted in sterile, institutional environments, leave little room for the healing power of the great outdoors. Monica Eastway ’21 (MS in Gerontology) saw this gap early on. She envisioned a future where aging wasn’t just about surviving but about thriving—where older adults could “age in harmony with nature.” This vision laid the foundation for her pioneering work in eco-gerontology, a field that’s shifting the way we think about aging, care, and the environment. Raised by three great-grandmothers, Eastway found the roles reversing in her twenties, almost as if she were destined for a life of service to older adults. When one of her great-grandmothers moved to a skilled nursing facility, Eastway saw firsthand the limitations of a corporate model of care, an experience that ignited her passion and purpose. She knew, however, that making a real impact would require deeper knowledge, leading her to enroll in the University of Indianapolis’s gerontology program (now known as the aging studies program). “It was really harrowing to experience how outdated and inhumane our current models of care and living are,” said Eastway. “That’s specifically why I returned to school. I had already begun developing a new, nature-connected, age- integrated model of living and care. I wanted to ground it in evidence and gain a deeper understanding of the science of aging.” Eastway’s capstone project introduced a revolutionary new community model: Eco Generation Park. The model is inspired by nature, integrated across all ages, based in
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UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS
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