|
Creative Aging Expert
August 2009
In This Issue
|
Quotes on Aging
"Americans have an almost insatiable appetite
for staying young...Millions struggle in some
way to resist, delay, deny, outwit or
camouflage the dreaded enemy-aging...But
youth has been oversold and aging has value
that we as a culture haven't acknowledged."
Connie Goldman, author Secrets of
Becoming a Late Bloomer and The
Ageless Spirit.
"It is the old apple trees that are decked
with the loveliest blossoms. It is the
ancient redwoods that rise to majestic
heights. It is the old violins that produce
the richest tones. It is the aged wine that
tastes the sweetest. It is ancient blessings
of age and the wisdom, patience and maturity
that go with it. Old is wonderful."
"Old age, I've decided is a gift. I am now,
probably for the first time in my life, the
person I have always wanted to be."
Anonymous, from Second Journey,
Itineraries, Spring 2009.
"There is more money being spent on breast
implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer's
research. This means that by 2040, there
should be a large elderly population with
perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely
no recollection of what to do with them."
Back To Top
|
Building Communities Where People Can Age in Place
A recent workshop sponsored by the National
Association of Area Agencies on Aging and
Partners for Livable Communities noted that
most boomers prefer to "age in
place"-remaining in their homes and
communities, even if they experience a
debilitating illness. Many communities are
not configured for a population that cannot
drive, and many homes are not accessible for
people who can't climb stairs. Robert
McNulty of Partners for Livable Communities
commented, "We have to move aging from the
health-care agenda into the civic agenda.
Most of our communities...are still almost
unlivable for people with disabilities, for
particularly vulnerable elderly and for
people with low incomes."
A 2005 survey of 10,000 communities across
the country showed that less than half were
planning for the surge of baby boomers
turning 65 during the next two decades. The
number of boomers will double between now and
2020. Richmond, Virginia, has set up the
Older Dominion
Partnership, an initiative
bringing together business, government and
others to plan for this demographic shift.
Swampscott, Massachusetts, is thinking ahead
on the senior surge. They decided to build
their new high school with a
6,500-square-foot senior center. Many
communities are trying to find new answers to
where and how Boomers will live in the
future. The Swampscott approach —
leveraging
existing infrastructure to address the needs
of teenagers and older citizens at the same
time is more than smart — it is practical.
High School students are volunteering at the
senior center earning community service
credits and seniors are volunteering at the
library allowing it to stay open longer.
In Phoenix, Arizona, Joe Johnson divided his
400 acre farm into parcels for a planned
intergenerational community. He laid out the
street plan to foster community and social
interaction. The centerpiece is an
assisted-living building next to the
community center and pool. He also got
zoning rights for a second dwelling unit-an
800-square-foot bungalow on most home
lots — with the intent that a family could
share a lot with an older parent or family
member living separately and independently.
He completed his vision by including
community farm land, so the 450-dwelling
community could benefit from local produce.
He named his new community "Agritopia."
Information for this piece came from an
article by Kiersten Ware
in the April 30, 2009, Boston Globe,
and a June 18, 2009 Richmond Times
Dispatch article by Tammie Smith.
Back To Top
|
Dr. Donohue on Jump Roping
In earlier newsletters I mentioned jump
roping as a good way to exercise. Dr.
Donohue had a column on it recently in the
Richmond Times Dispatch. He says that
jump roping is as good an exercise as anyone
can do for promoting heart health. Not only
does skipping rope improve cardiac
performance, it develops coordination and
agility. It strengthens leg muscles and
upper-body muscles, too. He concedes that it
is a difficult exercise and one that must be
entered into slowly.
Some things are important to keep in mind so
that it is a doable exercise without injury.
One is the length of the rope. Put your
feet on the center of the rope and draw the
ends upward. The right-size rope should
reach to just under the armpits. The jump
should be only high enough to clear the rope.
Too high a jump stresses the knees. Land on
the balls of your feet with the knees
slightly bent. Wear shoes that cushion your
landing. If possible jump on a giving
surface, like a wooden floor or the lawn.
Start out with a very modest time of
continued jumping, one or two minutes. Much
more will leave you breathless. Gradually
increase the time. After two months you'll
be able to do 15 minutes at a stretch. In
the beginning, turn the rope about 70 times a
minute, a little more than once a second.
While you're increasing the time of jumping,
simultaneously increase the speed of rope
turning.
If any of you try this challenging exercise
let me hear how it works for you.
Back To Top
|
Your Wild and Precious Life
Below is an edited version of an article that
was published in the September 2008 issue of
the Positive Aging Newsletter by Mary
and Ken Gergen.
Tell me what will you do with your one
wild and precious life?
-Mary Oliver
Each of us loves this question, and yet it
also makes us shudder a bit. With some
anxiety we ask if we have done enough with
the decades already given us. We hope,
perhaps, that if others were to hear us tell
our stories, there would be much that was
precious, and indeed, an ample supply of
"wild." At the same time, there is something
about the question that also suggests
closure. It asks us to think backward from
the present moment, as if we had reached the
end.
As so much of the research we report in this
newsletter suggests, this would be
unfortunate. Rather, as the common adage
goes, we gain in health, energetic engagement
and a sense of well-being if we can think
about each day as the first day of the rest
of our lives. In this way, we ask about the
potential for each day to bring forth flowers
of both precious and wild varieties.
Ideally no hour should go by in which we
cannot find a little gem of wisdom, of humor,
of love, of action. If it isn't there beside
us, then we would be well-served by
stretching our arms a bit to find it. There
is always a piece of chocolate to eat, a hug
to share, a thank-you note to write, a phone
call to a friend, an instrument to play, a
book to open, a putt to make, a sweater to
knit, a child to play with, a new recipe to
try, a new journey to plan, a neighbor to
visit, or a hammock to swing in.
Today, a man in a shop talked about his
mother. She had rented a house in the Alps
in Austria and was taking a hiking trip. He
said,"She is trying to find her life again.
My Dad died this year, and this is what she's
doing to start over. When I was a baby my
folks were tour guides for teenagers
traveling by bus around Europe...Then they
stopped touring so they could raise a family
and stay in one place for awhile. I guess
Mom is trying to jump start her life again,
going back to where they left off. This is
the first time she's ever been in Austria, so
I guess she is starting something new as
well. She's not wasting any time discovering
herself again."
And when we think of wild, perhaps we should
ask what there is about ourselves that could
now be discovered. Sometimes we ask
ourselves what has been enriching about this
day.
Back To Top
|
Sexism Meets Ageism
In a recent issue of Aging Today,
psychologist Doris Bersing writes an
interesting article titled The Feminist
Dilemma: What to Do when Sexism Meets
Ageism. Curious about how women involved
in the struggle for equality might become
true elders and what role they might embrace
in their later years, she begins interviewing
older women in this category. She interviews
Josephine at an assisted living facility.
Josephine had participated in the 1955 bus
boycott and later fought for women's
equality.
When asked about her current life, Josephine
smiled and said that the highlight of her
week was talking with the young interns and
volunteers who came to the facility to teach
classes and spend time with residents. She
appreciated the way the young people listened
to her stories. "They really seem to want to
know, to learn from my past and my
experiences," she said. "I tell them about
my struggles and conquests."
Josephine and other women like her have made
me reflect on what challenges will come next
for aging women in a society that remains
plagued with ageism and sexism. Her story
shows a potential shift of the powerful role
that women can play — from liberation to
mentoring, a shift that ideally brings
meaningful opportunities for aging women to
contribute to society.
Elderly women today face personal challenges
that trigger some profound questions —
among
them: What is their role as they age?
Reproduction is no longer a goal, nor is
raising children. If they had a career, it
is in the past or nearly so. Traditional
roles for mid-life or older women-such as
caring for grandchildren or caregiving for
husband or other family members-are still
common for women, but these limited
identities may be difficult to bear for those
who have spent a lifetime trying to make a
difference on a larger scale.
Since interviewing Josephine the author has
talked with hundreds of women who after
fighting for equal rights and against
negative stereotypes, find themselves in a
society that obsessively worships youth and
relegates its elders to second-class stature.
As these active women have aged they have
fought the stereotypes and they have found
time to reinvent themselves, to use the still
formidable energy of their mature years with
compassion and wisdom. There is after all, a
difference between growing old and growing
into an elder. To become an elder takes work
and a willingness to struggle continuously
for awareness. This struggle for awareness
demands a relentless engagement with life and
its constantly emerging challenges.
I found Bersing's research to be fascinating.
Aging Today is published by the
American Society on Aging, The article, which
appeared in the November-December 2008 issue,
is only available to members of ASA, a group
I highly recommend joining. For more
information, visit www.asaging.org.
Back To Top
|
Serve America Act Helps with Midlife Transitions
The Serve America Act, which President Barack
Obama signed in April is "the most
comprehensive national service legislation in
our history," reports John Gomperts,
president of Civic Ventures. It will "for
the first time, make national service
accessible and inviting for millions who have
finished their midlife careers." The
following are excerpts from this report.
"This quiet revolution starts with a simple
reality: People in their 50s, 60s and 70s
will need to, and often want to, work longer
than their parents did. Half of them,
according to a recent national survey, want
encore careers that combine income, meaning,
and work that matters. The Serve America Act
recognizes how tough that midlife career
transition is by creating a dazzling policy
innovation, something akin to internships for
boomers.
These "encore fellowships" will provide
people 55 and older access to one-year
management or leadership positions that will
prepare them for jobs in the public and
nonprofit sectors. Encore Fellowships
recognize that people in this stage of life
need bridges and pathways to get from one
stage to the next. These fellowships may
inspire other institutions, such as
universities, community colleges, training
facilities, to build a thriving marketplace
for midlife retooling.
The Serve America Act makes it much easier
for those finishing midlife careers to make
the transition from work to continued
education by tripling the number of
AmeriCorps positions and reserving 10 percent
of them for organizations that engage people
age 55 and older. Moreover, it provides two
big, new incentives for individuals over 55
and for organizations that can use their
experience to find each other.
First, midlifers who participate in
AmeriCorps programs for a full year and earn
an education award will now be able to use
that money for their own continued education
or, for the first time, to transfer that
money, more than $5,000 in tuition, to their
children or grandchildren.
Second, people over 55 who provide a minimum
of 350 hours of service to an accredited
community organization will earn Silver
Scholarships, which provide them with a
$1,000 education award that can be used for
encore career training — or transferred to
their children or grandchildren.
Perhaps most important, the Serve America Act
will stimulate nonprofit organizations to
create high-impact work and service
opportunities for those 55 and up, support
programs that do enroll older adults, prompt
national service programs to recruit more
experienced people and encourage the design
of programs that take advantage of their
talents."
This article was taken from Age in
Action, Summer 2009 by Virginia Center on
Aging and the Virginia Department for the
Aging. For more information: www.encore.org.
Back To Top
|
Sorry to be Late
Speaking engagements, writing assignments,
backpacking trips and personal obligations
caused me to miss putting out the May and
July issues of this newsletter. Because my
last issue was in March this one is a little
longer. Rest assured I am still here,
committed to living vitally as my 78th
birthday approaches. Next excitement after a
backpacking trip in August is a ten day
wilderness canoe trip on the Allagash
Waterway in Maine with Elderhostel. I hope
you too enjoy the rest of your summer.
Back To Top
|
If you do not wish to receive this
newsletter, please
click on the SafeUnsubscribe link below and
unsubscribe.
Back To Top
|
Emily Kimball
3220A West Grace Street
Richmond, VA 23221-1306
(804) 358-5536
Fax (804) 358-2415
web: TheAgingAdventurer.com
email:
etkimball@aol.com
|
|
