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Creative Aging Expert
May 2007
In This Issue
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Uplifting Conference on Aging
The New Hampshire State Conference on Aging
focused on the positive side of aging. I
attended two inspiring workshops,
Repowerment: Forget everything you have
been told about being old, and reinvent
yourself and Life After 70: A time to
create. These sessions, along with my
keynote, Get acquainted with the new age
senior, explored the theme, "Climb Every
Mountain: Life Affirming Strategies."
CART Reporters (Communications Access Real
Time Translators) recorded every speaker's
words on a big white screen in the front of
the room. As a hard-of-hearing person, this
made it much easier for me to always know
what was being said. It was a huge
stress-reducer!
Another unique feature of the conference was
the provision of buses to bring seniors from
every region of New Hampshire to the far
north for this one day conference. Their $12
conference fee entitled them to the bus ride
from different pick-up points around the
state. There was so much interest people
were turned away when registration reached 500.
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The Boomers Again
"One of the charms of the boomers, the
watermelon in the demographic python, is how
they are managing to age without getting old.
My favorite factoid comes from a Yankelovich
study showing that boomers define 'old age'
as starting three years after the average
American is dead. It's a new wrinkle on the
1965 song by The Who: 'I hope I die before I
get old.'"
Ellen Goodman in a Richmond Times
Dispatch column.
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More from Dr. Gene Cohen
For his book, The Mature Mind, Cohen
studied over 3,000 older adults by using
interviews and questionnaires multiple times
over the years since 2000. To organize and
elaborate on his view of maturity more fully,
he proposed four stages of mature
development. The first, "Midlife
Reevaluation," occurs during the 50s and 60s,
which is a time for exploration and
transition. (Where have I been? Where do I
wish to go?) Such a stage need not generate
a crisis; in its most positive form it yields
a sense of continued quest. Next is a
"Liberation Phase," in the 60s and 70s. (I am
not a victim of my past. The time for action
is now. If not now, when?)
After sustained engagement there may be a
"Summing Up Phase." Here one may review one's
life, resolve tensions, and integrate old and
new activities and relationships. This may
be a time to create memoirs, and for many, to
give back to the family, community, world.
Finally one may experience a stage of
"Encore," in the late 80s and beyond, which
may involve a continuing desire to go on,
even in the face of adversity or loss.
As reported in the Positive Aging
Newsletter, Sept/Oct 2006.
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Osteoporosis Article
Scarlette Bennett Tapp interviewed me for an
article on osteoporosis, "No Bones About It:
Living with Osteoporosis." The article,
published at momseasychair.com,
included a lot of good information.
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The 60s Chicks from Kansas
While bicycling the 7-day Bike Safari Ride in
northern Florida/southern Georgia, I bumped
into Kay, Mim, Bonita, and Signe - four
exciting older women known as, "The 60s
Chicks from Kansas." One of them had just
turned 70 and another would be there soon,
which might eventually make them the "70s
Chicks from Kansas!" They met at various
Kansas bike rides - the first of which was a
couples' weekend overnight ride. Their
husbands really weren't into it, but were
very supportive of their wives going off to
ride different biking events, like the Ride
across Kansas, SAGBRAW in Wisconsin, and the
Tour de Nebraska.
Says Kay, "We're all independent enough and
have had some type of a career, raised
families ...so we don't feel guilty now about
taking some time for what we enjoy doing.
Fortunately, we are a very compatible group
that seems capable of 'going with the
flow.'"
After doing the bike across Kansas (BAK)
several times, they hatched the idea to try
other states. They have great fun meeting
new people and planning where to go next.
Says Mim, "Our 60s Chicks is a friendship of
common interest and like-minded adventure.
Most of my friends would not ride a bike or
sleep in a tent. Heaven forbid showering in
odd-ball places or being dirty. I have found
soul-mates. My husband does not bike but is
extremely supportive. He loves to hunt and
fish, so we have great fun sharing our
different interests and friends. Makes for a
very good marriage. When I leave on a bike
trip....he tells his friends I am leaving for
'camp,' just like one of the kids. And it's
true!"
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Friendship Force Trip to Australia
Friendship Force is a non-profit
international cultural exchange organization
where people visit foreign countries while
meeting and staying with local people. From
August 29 to September 15, 2007, a Friendship
Force of Colonial Carolina will travel to
Australia to share two 6-day homestays with
local families in Queensland and in New South
Wales. For specifics, email: cjshields@touchnc.net
or Mbram@earthlink.net.
For general information friendshipforce.org.
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Research: Singing for Dear Life
A recent year-long research project shows
that engagement in cultural activities makes
for happier, healthier seniors. The project
focused on people with an average age of 80
who either volunteered to join a singing
group that met once a week at the Levine
School of Music in Washington, D.C., or they
were recruited to be in a comparison group.
The music group sang in a professionally
conducted chorale for 30 weeks, and in
addition they gave several concerts during
this period. Baseline measures of physical
health and medical treatments were taken, as
well as scores on a morale scale, a
loneliness scale, a depression scale, and a
survey of social activities. Participants
kept a journal of doctor visits and lists of
medications they were taking. Researchers
took care that the differences between the
groups were controlled for in all analyses.
While at baseline there were 166
participants, 12 months later there were 141.
About 80 percent were women, and most of the
participants were white (92 percent).
The results from this year-long study were
highly favorable to those who participated in
the musical program. They reported a higher
level of physical health, had fewer doctor
visits, used less medication, and had fewer
falls and other health problems. They also
reported better morale, less loneliness, and
they had a more active social life at the end
of the year; the comparison group's social
activities showed a decline.
This study supports the view that serious
engagement in cultural activities, such as
music and artistic programs, supports
healthful behavior in other realms as well.
A lively culturally-engaged older population
is one that is more likely to be
self-directed and fulfilled, and less likely
to require long-term care.
From an article in The Gerontologist,
2006, 46, 726-734 by Gene D. Cohen, Susan
Peristein, Jeff Chapline, Jeanne Kelly,
Kimberly M. Firth and Samuel Simmens
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Art Linkletter Sounds Off
In Art Linkletter's new book, How to Make
the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your
Life, he says, "We've gained 30 years of
life, and it's time to clear up the myths
about aging. Most older folks aren't sick or
senile; they're active and productive. No one
should be afraid of getting older, but there
are things they can do to ensure a healthier
and happier old age."
He and his wife of 70 years, Lois, have nine
grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren. The
entire family subscribes to Linkletter's
philosophy of working - and playing - hard.
Each year, the clan goes backpacking, hiking,
and surfing together. Until last year, the
vacation included skiing. "I was on a
business trip and came home to find that my
wife had given my ski gear away," says
Linkletter, who says he skied "high and
fast." She said that she wanted to continue
being my wife, not my nurse.
Ninety-four year-old Linkletter hopes his new
book will encourage boomers to head into
their "second prime" with enthusiasm and
vigor. "Don't retire, become a
'seniorpreneur,' keep a positive outlook, and
maintain your sense of humor," says
Linkletter, who is taking his own advice.
"I've got speaking engagements scheduled
until I'm 100; I figure if I'm booked, I'll
have to be there."
Richmond Times Dispatch, 11/20/06
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Retirement Living and Erickson Tribune Story
If you didn't get to the Retirement Living
website to view my 6 minute Creative Aging
interview on the Art of Living Show,
you can now view it on my website TheAgingAdventurer.com.
The Erickson Times, sponsors of the
Retirement Living web site, featured
a story about my take on retirement,
Aging on the Trail.
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Emily Kimball
3220A West Grace Street
Richmond, VA 23221-1306
(804) 358-5536
Fax (804) 358-2415
web: TheAgingAdventurer.com
email:
etkimball@aol.com
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