There was a time centuries ago when our elderly citizens were not quite so elderly. Old age is different for each person, some of us feel older when we are younger and some of our older citizens feel much younger when they are older. It is a mystery that people attribute to a multitude of reasons from good genes to a good diet. Perhaps it is where we have lived our life that contributes to the years we are dealt or perhaps some people have habits that are not too healthy. For every question there is simply another question and even more answers.
Old age is a common term we hear today and we think of old age very differently than our ancestors did long ago. People considered themselves to be old when they were in their forties and really old if they were in their sixties. In 1922, the average life expectancy was about 60 years old. A hundred years prior, the average life expectancy was between the ages of 30 to 40.
There are numerous reasons for this involving many factors with disease and nutrition and lifestyle. I visit the life expectancy today for one particular reason: How do we help our senior citizens regardless of their age? It is the general consensus that we treat our elders well and we show compassion and gratitude. We respect and honor them and we appreciate the wisdom they possess. These are certainly acceptable terms that we can relate to quite comfortably. But, how do we manage this complicated thing called aging, especially if the senior citizens do not have close relatives or even extended families or friends?
Many years ago, when a person aged, it was a common practice to assist them where they needed help. In the early 1800s, the elderly just lived with their adult children and grandchildren for their remaining years. This was very kind and compassionate and certainly very common during this period of time.
As the 1800s progressed, there was a trend to address many different social groups in a structured manner. People that were mentally ill were once kept confined within households for better or worse. Asylums were established, much like the New Hampshire Asylum in the early 1840s. Sometimes, elderly people were simply placed in the asylum, later known as the New Hampshire State Hospital. Perhaps an age-related symptom required medical treatment so the elderly person was admitted and remained the rest of their lives as wards of the state. Regardless of the outcome, it was a process and an option during this period of time when mental illness and advanced age sometimes intercepted at some level.
This was a concern because it was known the elderly were kept at home and not monitored closely, committed to the New Hampshire State Hospital or sometimes allowed to sadly live on their own and not cared for by anyone. There was growing concerns with this multifaceted approach as the 1800s continue to proceed and the New Hampshire lawmakers were discussing options that would benefit the older citizens of our community.
In January 1876, a donation was received by the Concord Female Charitable Association. The donation was in the amount of $110 and was made with the request a fund would be established to build a home for the aged in Concord. A wonderful gesture, very kind and considerate but certainly not of the amount to build a home. It was a start and the donation planted a thought in the community, motivating people to investigate this matter further.
It was the same year, the New Hampshire Legislature passed a charter establishing the New Hampshire Centennial Home for the Aged. The Concord Female Charitable Society accepted the act and incorporated, organized under it and adopted a constitution. With the support from the state, people became even more focused. The Concord Female Charitable Society set about searching for a home to rent or purchase that could accommodate the aged residents. Near the New Hampshire Hospital there was a building known as the Dodge House located on Pleasant Street. The Society signed an agreement to rent this house for the very first home for the aged. Once rented the Dodge House was later purchased on Jan. 1, 1879, and established with six full-time elderly residents and a staff of medical support.
People living in the Concord area kept a close watch on this new venture to provide housing for the elderly. It was Mrs. Nathaniel White that decided to step forward and donate $10,000 to the Centennial Home in loving memory of her husband. With the community seeing this generous donation more funds arrived bringing the total donations to $18,000 during this time.
It was within 25 years the Concord Female Charitable Society noted the original $110 donation had grown to $97,000 and invested in the new construction of another building on the same grounds as the original. The new Centennial Home for the Aged was a beautiful brick building on Pleasant Street and housed 64 full time residents when it opened. The foundation for the new home was laid in July 1891 and the residents were transferred from the old Dodge building to the new home on Nov. 12, 1892, with the dedication ceremony being held on Jan. 12 , 1893.
This New Hampshire Centennial Home for the Aged eventually closed with competition from nursing homes and other facilities that became available in the 1900s. There was competition for residents and Concord offered multiple homes for the aged within miles of each other.
You can still see the Centennial Home for the Aged to this very day on Pleasant Street. Meticulously cared for, it is now the home of the Centennial Inn where rooms can be rented and fine meals enjoyed by all.