Seeing Patterns Is Not the Same as Understanding Them National and state‑level trends are often the starting point for identifying challenges such as food insecurity, health disparities, or unequal access to services. But trends alone rarely explain why conditions look the way they do or what solutions will work in a specific place. A place‑based lens shifts the focus from abstract averages to community‑level patterns, examining how local history, infrastructure, policies, a

By Dr Kristen Robinson Puerto Rico may be famous for its beaches, vibrant music, and warm climate, but it’s also becoming known for another reason: it has one of the highest proportions of older adults in the world (U.S. Census Bureau, International Database). How does aging under conditions of economic hardship, migration, and limited caregiving shape the lives of older Puerto Ricans? (Center for Puerto Rican Studies; Van Dam, 2022) A Shrinking, Aging Archipelago Between 201