Better With Age. Robin Porter
hospices, homes for the sick, soup kitchens, orphanages, and schools. Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 69 and worked tirelessly until her death at age 87.
• Popular actor, film director, and producer Clint Eastwood is still working hard at the age of 83. He began his career in 1959, but didn’t receive an Academy Award until he was 62 years old. At 73, he launched his critically acclaimed directing career, which earned him another Oscar. Eastwood sums up his philosophy about aging in this quote: “As we grow older, we must discipline ourselves to continue expanding, broadening, learning, keeping our minds active and open.”
Benjamin Franklin helped draft the Declaration of Independence and signed it at the age of 70, which incidentally was the same age as Ronald Reagan when he was sworn in as the 40th president of the United States—just two more examples of late-in-life achievements. But you don’t have to be famous to be successful; every day, ordinary folks are finding passion and purpose in the second half of their lives and redefining what it means to age well.
The Importance of Planning
Like most things in life, aging well does not happen by accident—it requires some planning. The following chapters cover key aspects of preparing for each decade of your senior years, including money matters, legal issues, health factors, and tips for staying vibrant. We cannot control every element of the aging process, but we can positively influence many facets. By avoiding unhealthy habits and taking better care of ourselves, we can stave off many ailments that lead to disabilities, reduce the quality of our senior years, and shorten lives. By saving for retirement, we can make our senior years more fulfilling and enjoyable. And, by putting our affairs in order, we can reduce some of the stress associated with growing older, make more informed decisions, and ensure that our wishes are carried out. In other words, we can choose to age well.
Poet Maya Angelou wrote, “Living life is like constructing a building: if you start wrong, you’ll end wrong.” As we embark on our senior years, it’s a good idea to start with a plan or blueprint of sorts. Along the way we’re sure to make alterations, add details here and there, and perhaps undertake some major renovations—all the while steadily building the second half of our lives. We don’t know what the finished project will look like, but let’s begin by laying a strong foundation.
Words of Wisdom . . .
‘For three generations, Lydia’s family has lived in the same community, and with nearly a century of life behind her, Lydia has seen some tremendous transformations.
“I was recently asked to speak about life here in the 1920s at the library, and I’ve also participated in discussion panels at the university,” said Lydia proudly. “I guess when you’re as old as I am you become a walking history book! This used to be a small town, where you knew all the shopkeepers by name and all the kids went to the same school. Times have certainly changed, but I’m just so grateful to have lived to see so many truly amazing things in the world.”
As schoolchildren, Lydia and her classmates were invited to help fill up seats at the new university stadium and cheer on the football team—a venue that now routinely holds well over 100,000 fans. She also recalled graduating during the Great Depression, when the school had no money for caps and gowns, and learning the importance of service from her parents who were both active in the community; her father organized the first African-American Boy Scouts troop in town and her mother worked with young girls at the local community center. Lydia married when she was 19 and had four children—she also became a member of the “sandwich generation” long before that term was coined.
“I had taken a course in home nursing, so when my mother had a stroke, and then my father became ill, I took charge of their care,” she recounted. “My children were young at the time, so for many years, my only activities were taking care of family, which is really the most important thing in life.”
After Lydia’s parents passed away, she took a job planning and preparing meals for a local doctor and his family, and eventually worked in his office, as well. Her favorite job, however, was managing the dining room of a well-known social club, where she worked for 20 years. But retirement didn’t slow Lydia down.
In addition to panel discussions, she is on the church committee to plan monthly senior activities, and she participates in all the trips and events. “I’ve always been active,” Lydia said. “As a girl, I was on the track team, and played baseball and field hockey. We had no cars, so we walked everywhere. Now, I use a walker and don’t get around as well as I used to, but I don’t let that get me down. Even if you’re slow, it doesn’t mean you should stop moving!”
When it comes to her longevity, Lydia is a firm believer in eating well and staying active. As for her remarkable vibrancy at 97, she offers this advice, “Have a positive attitude, and surround yourself with good friends and family. Don’t lose interest in things or close yourself off. I like to stay current on social issues and politics. I like to read, and I’m still a big football fan!”’
Laying the Foundation: Your 50s
“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be.”
—ROBERT BROWNING
I’m Too Young for That
When Jan found a copy of AARP The Magazine in her mailbox, she thought there was some mistake. Maybe it was intended for her mother? Or, perhaps this was her husband’s idea of a birthday joke, since she had just celebrated her 50th. But no, the publication geared toward seniors was addressed to her. How can I be old enough to be a “senior?” thought Jan, when she was still working full-time and attending her son’s high school football games. Like Jan, many people don’t consider themselves to be senior citizens in their 50s—and they certainly don’t feel old.
In 2014, the last of the baby boomers will reach age 50, officially putting this large segment of Americans, born between 1946 and 1964, in their senior years. Life expectancy has increased by an average of 12 years since the first boomers were born, along with “health expectancy” or number of years we can expect to live without health problems or disabilities—which begs the question: What will we do with this extra decade or more of life?
Some might say 50 is the new 40. A majority of those in their 50s are still engrossed in careers, with no immediate plans for retiring. And because people are waiting longer to start families, a large number still have school-aged children at home during this decade. Another sizeable segment of this group known as the sandwich generation is raising children and caring for elderly parents. All of which means that instead of slowing down, many 50-somethings are busier than ever. Thankfully, a good portion of those in their 50s are healthy and active enough to keep up with these demands.
However, at 50, issues that once seemed distant are now visible on the horizon. If you haven’t already made plans for retirement or spent time thinking about end-of-life issues, there is no time like the present—whether you are in a position to have important conversations with elderly parents regarding their affairs or contemplating your own wishes. In fact, the decisions and plans we make in our 50s will set the stage for our senior years.
Novelist and dramatist Victor Hugo once said, “Forty is the old age of youth; fifty is the youth of old age.” As we embark on our senior years, we should take advantage