JOHN YANG: When we think of penguins, we tend to think cute and energetic.

But, as they age, they also experience aches and pains, just like we humans do.

That's why the New England Aquarium in Boston has created a first-of-its-kind oasis for its penguin elders.

Special correspondent Jared Bowen of GBH Boston takes us there for our arts and culture series, Canvas.

(SINGING) JARED BOWEN: The hit sitcom "The Golden Girls" opened our eyes to the joys of aging together.

Now the New England Aquarium is doing the same with its penguin golden girls and boys.

ERIC FOX, Assistant Curator of Penguins, New England Aquarium: This is our geriatric island.

We affectionately call it our assisted living community.

JARED BOWEN: This is a new development at the aquarium where for decades various penguin species have ruled the roost, or, rather, these islands, dotting one of the institution's most popular exhibits.

It's also a place where kids will be kids, says associate curator Eric Fox.

ERIC FOX: As we look at our older populations, we started to identify that there could be ways that their life could be easier.

But oftentimes it's the youngsters who might be trying to take over their territory or steal their mate or just cause a little bit of ruckus.

JARED BOWEN: These are African penguins.

And, in the wild, their average lifespan is 10 years.

But, here, where care is paramount, many are living into their 30s.

And in their senior years, they face a host of ailments, beyond just ruffians in the neighborhood, says curator Kristen McMahon.

KRISTEN MCMAHON, Curator of Pinnipeds and Penguins, New England Aquarium: They will get cataracts, glaucoma, some spinal conditions sometimes where they don't move quite as easily as a younger bird, arthritis.

JARED BOWEN: Recently, 32-year-old penguin Lambert had both cataract surgery and his left eye removed.

It occurred to the aquarium team that, post-surgery, Lambert might be better suited in a community where life is a bit slower, a bit easier.

Same for his fellow senior citizens who were gradually moved to a retirement home of their own.

KRISTEN MCMAHON: The other thing that's really great about it is it's very close so we can walk by at any time and take a snapshot and say, OK, all eight birds look really great.

Or, hey, I want to look a little closer at Good Hope.

He's moving a little different than he did yesterday.

JARED BOWEN: Life is good on retirement island.

The penguins receive restaurant-quality meals, acupuncture treatments and physical therapy, all by way of on-site medical care.

DR. KATHRYN TUXBURY, Senior Veterinarian, New England Aquarium: Great.

Everything sounds nice and normal.

All right, just going to give a feel here.

Feel your belly.

All right, Lambert, let's take a look in your eye.

JARED BOWEN: Dr. Kathryn Tuxbury is the New England Aquarium's senior veterinarian.

In performing exams as often as once a week, she knows her patients intimately.

What are you looking for when they walk?

DR. KATHRYN TUXBURY: I'm taking a look to see if she has any signs of lameness.

So we have been treating her with an anti-inflammatory pain medication for some stiff gait.

JARED BOWEN: There is a comprehensive treatment plan here, which includes a lot of bonding with caregivers.

KRISTEN MCMAHON: We establish relationships with each individual bird, just like with people, getting to know each other, spending quality time, building trust, and you do that by being present.

JARED BOWEN: In the water alongside the birds, which is where we headed for an up-close look at penguin life with penguin trainer Mia Luzietti.

So they know their names?

MIA LUZIETTI, Penguin Trainer, New England Aquarium: Yes, so we do train name recognition, but even if we didn't train it, they end up knowing them.

They're very intelligent animals.

JARED BOWEN: And curious.

They thrive, the aquarium says, on new objects, people, and PBS camera crews.

That familiarity, the comfort with caregivers, is key as we enter the geriatric island, where Luzietti administers eye drops and meals.

MIA LUZIETTI: We know everything that's going on with the birds at any given time.

If someone didn't come to the island for the feed, why didn't they come?

Is that normal for that individual?

JARED BOWEN: To accommodate its new residents, the island features more ramps and flatter areas.

It's easier to navigate and reduces stress.

So what are these pads, these brown pads?

MIA LUZIETTI: Yes, so the matting on the island provides them a little more cushion for their feet.

Especially with some of the birds on this island having arthritis, we want to make sure that their joints are comfortable.

JARED BOWEN: The New England Aquarium believes it's the first to establish a geriatric community for its animals.

Now, about five months into the effort, the aquarium says it's been a success and will share its findings with other institutions.

KRISTEN MCMAHON: It's really a great network, and it's really such a great feeling to be involved with a species that really needs our help.

JARED BOWEN: Because, in the wild, African penguins are now a critically endangered species.

Their food supply has declined significantly as ocean temperatures have shifted and there's more competition with commercial fisheries.

The population has declined by at least 70 percent over the last decade, says Eric Fox, who has worked on penguin rehabilitation projects in South Africa.

ERIC FOX: What's happening when the parents aren't catching enough fish is that they're abandoning their chicks because they can't get enough to survive, let alone feed another.

JARED BOWEN: Once abandoned chicks are properly nourished, they can be released back into the wild,continuing a cycle of best practices devised here with potential benefits a world away.

ERIC FOX: Our story is way more powerful than just the eight penguins that get to live here.

It's about the colonies in South Africa that could be making it to these ages if things are done to help reduce the threat on their population.

And that's kind of what we're here and why we do what we do.

JARED BOWEN: For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Jared Bowen in Boston.