Older Adult Month: It's Never Too Late and You're Never Too Old

Each second we each grow older. It is certain that we will join those who preceded us and leave behind legacies for those who follow. In honor of Older Adults month we wanted to take a moment to honor those who are considered “Older Adults”. According to the U.S. Administration on Aging the first of 78 million baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) will start transitioning into retirement in 2011, kicking off a senior population boom that will continue for decades. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that one out of every nine baby boomers will live to at least age 90. GUESTS: “OPALs (Older People with Active Lifestyles) was established to encourage people aged 45-50 and older to take full advantage of the amazing resilience of our bodies and challenge ourselves to increase our level of vitality and not settle for the notion that ageing automatically results in frailty. My point is…no matter your age, your current state of health and wellness can always be improved. We are normal people with normal jobs or retired who want to enjoy a high quality of life and have fun doing so...we have earned it! We come from all walks of life. And, whether we want to admit our age or not, it is truly a blessing to get older. How gracefully we do it has a lot to do with the lifestyle choices we make.”Carolyn Hartfield. “In a nation that places great emphasis on youth, my goal is directed toward helping people to understand the life cycle and explain in a light hearted way the expectations, experiences, myths, and truths of growing older. Because I have had exposure to the medical field for many years, caring for my daughter at a very young age and my parents who were older, I became concerned that many medical providers do not give attention or information to caregivers. Working with challenged adults and teens gave me the same feeling and I have set about informing families about the challenges they face on the topic of growing older in our society.” –Bess-Mae Jones