Did you know that the fastest growing segment of our population is
over 85? And half of people 65 today will live to
be 85? Many of
us can now look forward to "the bonus years." This is a different
world from our parents and grandparents.
This shift from a vision of aging as old, sick
and decrepid to one
of hope, activity, creativity and service to the
community is a
welcome one. Not that we'll all have the luck to
get there...but
some of us will. And many of us will use our
energies to better our
world.
I had the good fortune to attend the December,
2007 conference in
St. Petersburg, Florida called "Positive Aging,"
where the film, "Still Kicking" was shown. There I met dozens of
enthusiastic
people from all over the country brainstorming,
furthering the
conversation in this country about aging well,
with health,
vitality and purpose.
The Life Planning Network (www.lifeplanningnetwork.org), a group
that started in New England and is now branching
out across states,
has taken the lead reaching out to people to
educate and coach them
about the second half of life, or "the third
age." One of the most
important findings is that people care most about
giving back to
community in the later years, and having meaning
in their lives
(More about this in an upcoming newsletter).
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