Our new audio podcast, Aging Is A Ride, has already gotten excellent comments from listeners. Each episode is intended to take a candid, but lighthearted take a look at numerous elements of getting older and retirement.
A Conversation With Dr. Keren Wilson
Within the first installment, I interviewed Dr. Keren Wilson, who is taken into consideration the originator of the “assisted dwelling” idea as we are aware of it nowadays. Dr. Wilson commenced the first assisted residing community within the U.S. inside the early 1980s and these days is doing first rate paintings within the aging offerings area. It was a first-rate and enlightening communication about the nation of the gerontology enterprise and how we supply growing older services in this united states.
Dr. Harvey Austin On Being An Elder
The second one episode of the Aging Is A Ride audio podcast, entitled “I’m an Elder and Darn Proud of It!”, features a discussion with Dr. Harvey Austin, a renowned health care professional and a resident of a persevering with care retirement network (CCRC) in Connecticut, who has literally written the book on what it approach to be an “Elder” in our society: Elders Rock! Don’t Just Get Older: Emerge as an Elder.
In his book, Dr. Austin describes the idea of “Elder” as “a level of life, not an age of life,” and asserts that “Elderhood is full of aliveness, joy, and creativity — our birthright.” It’s a powerful evaluation of how our mind-set affects our outlook and a touching first-hand account of the natural beauty of the growing older method.
The Three Stages Of Human Life
On this latest episode of the podcast, Dr. Austin explains how the world once thought of people as having three stages of life: youth, adult, and Elder (though Dr. Austin says “Elder” is the only one which merits capitalization). This became the social structure when we lived as tribes, or in previous centuries when a strong sense of community turned into paramount for survival.
He notes that in recent centuries, however, due to the fact that many families no longer have multiple generations that stay beneath the same roof (or even in the same ZIP code), we have lost the Elder stage and the benefits it brings to our society. We’re either “child” or “adult,” and we’ve forsaken the stage of the wise and respected “Elder.”
Where Are The Elders Today?
Via what Dr. Austin calls “the paradox of modern times,” we are living two or three times longer than what people used to live in previous centuries, but we are failing to seek the wisdom and insights of that Elder generation when it comes to technology and advancements. We ask the adult question “can we?” but we fail to ask those Elders who have more life experiences “should we?”
“We have a world run by adults without Elder supervision,” says Dr. Austin.
Becoming An Elder
Dr. Austin and I discussed what it means to grow to be an Elder. All of us know that people tend to resist change — change is scary, after all. “It’s so easy just to keep on going the way we’re going, becoming more and more ‘adult’ — thinking the way we always did,” Dr. Austin notes. “There’s no natural way to grow to be an Elder. You have to educate yourself to do it. Becoming ‘old’ is automatic — our body does that, our mind does that — but to become an ‘Elder,’ you have to be moved by something.”
He says that for most people, that “something” that inspires them to become an Elder is “a whack up along the head” such as a loved one’s death, the loss of a job or a home, or a serious illness. It takes something that “shakes you to your core and brings you to a crossroads” where you either say you’re going to go back to your familiar status quo, or you’re going to double-down on living your life to its fullest and most meaningful, opening you up to the possibility of achieving that Elder status.
Embracing Your Elderhood
But there’s another step still to achieving Elderhood. You need to convince yourself that you are an Elder, shifting your perspective, embracing that label, and revealing (or un-concealing) that part of ourselves that is the Elder. “You become much more ‘other-centric’ than just being the actor, producer, and director in your own life,” explains Dr. Austin. And this can happen at any age.
Living With Perspective And Humor
One of my favorite thoughts on “Elderhood” that Dr. Austin shares is about the importance of maintaining a positive mindset, keeping a sense of humor, and focusing on what matters in life, such as helping others in your community.
He says: “Elders get the joke: We’re here for a while, and then we disappear. What are you going to do while you’re here? You’re either going to do everything to make it great for yourself, or you’re going to start doing some things to make it great for others.”
How To Access Our Audio Podcast
I have to tell you: The conversation Dr. Austin and I had for this podcast episode was among the most meaningful discussions I’ve ever experienced. While the word “elderly” has come to have negative connotations in modern-day society, I view it as a positive term, thanks in large part to Dr. Austin’s book and conversations like this with him. I’ve truly redefined what the term “Elder” means, not only to me personally but what I think it should mean to our society as a whole. I hope you will take a couple of minutes to listen to this latest installment in our audio podcast. And I hope you will find Dr. Austin’s insights on aging and becoming an Elder as profound and thought-provoking as I did.
