Surrendering to disease is not the only option available to us as we age. Three of the obituaries in today’s New York Times illustrate that most of us are living well into our 80′s. Increasing longevity is a new reality for our generation.

With the gift of longer life, the necessisty of taking on a healthy lifestyle becomes all the more essential. Heading off diseases that compromise our abilities to be up and out becomes a priority agenda.

Many seniors today choose to live in environments that offer super active lifestyles. The boom in the population of older persons having moved from the chill of the midwest to multiple days of sunshine attests to how seniors

Sitting in a parking lot, awaiting my spouse running an errand, I am aware of the variety and number of older persons scurrying in and out, doing whatever it is they have to do today. Longevity has made a dramatic impact on our society. Its influence is everywhere. Both in numbers and in the wide spectrum of persons who have learned the nuances of managing aging, the show is quite intriguing.

Science and medicine and diet and exercise and opportunity have enabled our living longer, doing more, coping better, challenging infirmity. We are more capable of dealing with the typical onslaught of growing older. We have learned how to be and do more than previous generations ever thought they might or could. And doing so has introduced us to longer life, more plentiful and fulfilling in all kinds of ways.

But, there still seems to be something missing for many retirees. Men seem to adjust

A new specialty began to emerge in Social Work and Medicine about 30-40 years ago.  Social workers and physicians realized the numbers of senior citizens would only increase as years go by, and the specialty of Gerontology came upon university curricula.  Gerontologists are helping specialists who focus only on senior citizens, their social issues and [...]

Whether it is you or your parents or in-laws, living longer than expected can introduce major issues and considerations within a family. Longevity is now one of the additional challenges faced by more and more of us. We are just living longer and, with that, are maintaining reasonably good health. There are some threatening indicators that may deter the desire to live longer, such as dementia, immobility, etc. However, all things being equal, living into one’s 90′s and even beyond, is now a realistic possibility.

While living longer may bring with it certain advantages and even blessings, it may also produce some conflicts, demands and adjustments that must be calculated in the equation. Enjoying having a loved one around for a longer life can lead to many joys. It can produce unexpected gifts in relationships and interchanges not possible if one is bedridden and not functional mentally. So, preparing for the possibility of a family member living longer, with reasonably good health, requires some intentional preparations.