Centro integral del adulto mayor, habitar la vejez con dignidad

Abstract

Population aging represents one of today's major social challenges. In the district of San Antonio de Prado, rapid urban growth and limited infrastructure for elderly care have highlighted issues such as institutional abandonment, a loss of community integration, and a lack of spaces capable of addressing this stage of life with dignity. These conditions became even more apparent following the closure of the district's former geriatric care home—an event that serves as the project's conceptual starting point and a reflection on how society responds to aging. The loss of this facility signified not only the disappearance of care infrastructure but also the severing of territorial and community ties built over years. For many older adults, remaining within their local area means preserving daily relationships, familiar routes, memories, and a sense of belonging. In this context, displacement or uprooting directly affects their identity, emotional stability, and connection to the community that has been part of their lives for so long. Addressing these issues, the project reflects on what it means to experience old age with dignity and on architecture's role as a tool for care, continuity, and social integration. Beyond merely meeting functional needs, the proposal seeks to create a space that strengthens territorial memory, promotes the physical and emotional well-being of older adults, and restores their active participation in the district's collective life. Thus, the work develops an architectural and social approach that views care as a human and communal experience, where memory, rootedness, and remaining in one's own territory become fundamental elements in upholding the dignity of older adults within their own environment.