Paper, Communal TM Morbidity
Doug Hamilton
Cradle to Grave..
An overlay in drafting this paper on aging in community is a memory of visiting Pleasant Hill Shaker Village outside of Lexington, Kentucky and touring their dwelling house across from their Trustees building where on the second floor of the dwelling house behind a large community meeting room there is an infirmary preserved that also provided long-term care to elders of the Shaker community.
Abstract:
For the 50 year Transcendental Meditationist community in Fairfield, Iowa morbidity of aging within their community in time has started to be more apparent and also is steadily accelerating. A consequence is that the community has gained an incrementally increasing experience with taking care of others, each other, as they would age or face life changing health circumstances.
Communal TM MorbidityThe creeping of (communal) morbidity..
mor·bid·i·ty
/môrˈbidədē/
noun
- The condition of suffering from a disease or medical condition.
- The rate of disease in a population.
In the decade of 1970 to 1980 a million Americans learned Transcendental Meditation. That was roughly 1 in 300+ Americans at the time.
50 and 40 years ago, as mostly Baby-Boomers and some elders then arrived to meditate in Fairfield, Iowa the group was mostly 'younger' and there was very little morbidity to speak of. Occasionally someone would get sick or die, but there was not much experience with that.
Then in time as the group did age toward their 50’s and 60’s the morbidity of aging within the community started to be more apparent and also was steadily accelerating.
An untold admirable story now in the community is the learned communal care-giving that is acquiring by experience. Five decades ago as the meditating community arrived Jennifer Hamilton came along into the meditating Fairfield community with a University of Iowa bachelors degree training in the science of nursing and also now being life-practiced in hospital and clinical nursing as a registered nurse. She and others initially began assisting peers on an informal basis. This peer care-giving has since evolved into a proactive system of care.
Many in the early meditating community were younger and had little need for relationship with the normal health care system. Though not common initially, as some individuals might fall in to trouble with their own health Jennifer assisting on an informal basis might get their phone calls or have visits for advice knowing she is a registered nurse. She could steer them in directions to access the healthcare system and on occasion she might drive someone to an emergency room.
While this was not common 30 and 40 years ago, but decade by decade this has increased to points where the attending to care-giving needs - towards keeping people in their homes for as long as is possible has risen to become an articulated now present life-work for Jennifer and others in managing care-giving in the community.
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The Demographic Shift
in Fairfield the meditating university arrived in 1974.
A 1994 survey of Fairfield meditators shows a majority were aged 36–55 at that time. Fast forward 31 years, and most of that group is now aged 67 to 86—squarely in the age range where chronic illness, mobility decline, and increased health needs become prevalent.
Age Distribution Shift (1974 → 2025):
In the last two decades as a demographic need has mounted in the meditating community more numbers of people have experienced friends needing help and more people have gained experience stepping up to help others. More people now in recent years are familiar with stepping forward as they hear of people falling into circumstances of aging who may be in need of some caring help. This kind active volunteerism is now become a remarkable feature in the meditating community.
Meal Train
In a sequence of years experience organizing care-giving an element which came in to volunteer care-giving was the app platform called "Meal Train". This has been an incredibly helpful function that has come in to coordinating volunteer help around a particular person in need by its function of a shared calendar.
The last few years people of the Fairfield meditating community have been earning experience with this app and more people better know the drill of signing up to give care as they may learn there is a need.
Fairfield Cares
A recent response to a growing communal demographic need to share and coordinate care-giving in the community has given rise to a non-profit organization called "Fairfield Cares" with formation of an excellent steering committee and a stated mission towards:
Helping elders stay in their homes,"..To allow folks to age in comfort and dignity by staying in their own familiar surroundings for as long as is possible. " The 'Helpful Village' Initiative
https://fairfieldcares.helpfulvillage.com/
Within the non-profit Fairfield Cares now, the practical work of coordinating volunteer care-giving of all types has segwayed on to a newer more comprehensive app called "Helpful Village" .
"It takes a village."
The organization Fairfield Cares now - "..is upgraded, transitioned to the more robust Helpful Village Platform to increase its ability to help Elders."
https://www.helpfulvillage.com/
A Communal Transition
The TM community in Fairfield is undergoing not only a demographic shift but a cultural one. What began as a collective journey of consciousness expansion has evolved also into a collective experience of shared caregiving. Community members are no longer just fellow meditators—they are companions through illness, aging, and, ultimately, the end of life.
This organic transformation shows the practical implications for how intentional communities can adapt to aging, and how spirituality, volunteerism, and technology intersect in the formation of new care networks. It demonstrates vital questions about autonomy, community resilience, and the meaning of dignity in aging.
Final ThoughtThe TM community in Fairfield has always been about more than meditation. Now, it’s about presence in the most human sense—showing up for one another through the quiet challenges of aging. This chapter of our story deserves to be told, supported, and celebrated.
April 2025, by Doug Hamilton
Notes..
TM Communal Demographic:A 1994 Profile of the Fairfield, Iowa Meditating Community:
"..In late spring (1994), the Community Forum sponsored a community-wide survey to sample opinion on a wide range of issues that affect our lives. Based on a compiled list of Fairfield-area meditators, we sent out approximately 2,000 surveys. We received 659 completed surveys, for a response rate of about 33%. (The response rate may even be higher; since we used bulk mail, we do not know the exact number of surveys delivered.) In the field of written surveys, a response rate of 33% is considered outstanding.
Survey respondents come from a cross-section of our community: 84% have been meditating for 16 years or longer; 68% have lived in Fairfield for seven years or more; and 68% are registered for Super Radiance. Although not every meditator filled out a survey, we believe the results provide significant insights into how meditators feel about important issues and about our lives in Fairfield."
1994 survey of the Fairfield meditating community:
Age:
< 25, 13 2%
25-35, 65 10% (+31 years) now = 56 to 66 years of age
36-45, 391 60% (+31 years) now = 67 to 76 years of age
46-55, 138 21% (+31 years) now = 77 to 86 years of age
> 55, 47 7% (+31 years) now = > 86 years of age
Baby Boom Birth Years:
The baby boom generation is typically defined as those born between 1946 and 1964.Current Age Range:
In 2025, baby boomers range from 59 to 78 years old.
In 10 years time, who will not be alive..
If you are between ages 70 & 71, 1 in 3 will not live another 10 years.
If you are between 74 & 76, 1 in 2 will not be alive in another 10 years.
If you are between 77 & 82, 1 in 3 will not be alive in 10 years.
If you live and are between 83 & 86, 17 in 20 will not be alive another 10 years.
If you are between ages 87 and 89, 9 in 10 will not be alive in another 10 years.
(2000 Census Data, Branson Hamilton Analytics)
Graphic:
Fairfield Cares & Helpful Village
Recognizing the need for a more structured approach, the nonprofit Fairfield Cares was formed. Its mission is clear: to help elders remain in their homes, aging with dignity in familiar surroundings. The organization is now transitioning to a more robust support system via the Helpful Village platform—an all-in-one volunteer coordination and eldercare solution.