Led by Prof. Dr. Meutia Hatta Swasono, this research project is a comparative ethnographic study designed to understand how past life experiences shape the realities of aging and elderly care practices in West Java. The four-month study was conducted across two distinct landscapes: the tourism-based highland of Megamendung and the industrial hub of Ciluar.

Through participant observation and in-depth interviews with seniors aged 60–80 and their families, the study traces the impact of social shifts—such as industrialization and changing living environments—on intergenerational relationships and the transmission of cultural knowledge. The findings highlight a condition termed “aging in silence,” a situation where the elderly remain physically present within their families and communities but increasingly lose their voice and the opportunity to pass down their wisdom amidst rapid social transformation.