It's no secret that when I come across a book that really grabs my attention, I can't help but feel compelled to tell everyone I know about my latest must-read discovery. The new book I'm going to share with you today is Dr. Marc E. Agronin's recently published "The End of Old Age: Living a Longer, More Purposeful Life."
I wish that every baby boomer had access to this groundbreaking volume. It would also be wonderful if the aging specialists who operate and staff senior citizen centers, as well as enlightened caregivers, took the time to read Dr. Agronin's prescription for productive aging. As a geriatric psychiatrist who specializes in Alzheimer's research, the 52-year-old author has been applauded for helping to develop the first memory care village on the Miami Jewish Health Systems campus in Florida.
It's definitely unusual to come across an author who wishes that the adjective "old" could be viewed as a badge of honor or distinction. In his words: "Individuals today in their 80s and 90s didn't have role models when they were younger, because not many lived to that age. If they did, they were in worse shape because they didn't have all the medical advances. So they are the first generation to take stock of the gains and losses, and traditionally they have only seen the losses."
Dr. Agronin points out that we are now able to refocus our attention on the gains that come with getting older. The people who are 80 or 90 today have a variety of good physical opportunities and resources, which allow them to teach us the right way to age gracefully.
Did you know that 25 percent of American women over the age of 65 are expected to live until their 90s? Statistics like that one mean we all need to reexamine the implications of longevity and adapt to a new and different way of life. Dr. Agronin — who just might be one of the most optimistic and upbeat geriatric psychologists on Earth — reminds readers that when Henri Matisse could no longer paint after his cancer surgery in 1941, he created cutouts — at the age of 71 — as a new outlet for his creativity.
Agronin also admires Martha Graham, who channeled her talents into choreography when she was physically unable to dance. The message for all of us is that when we can no longer follow the passions that shaped our younger lives, we can use those callings to find inspiration, productivity and strength. Essentially, he wants us to identify what we can accomplish because of aging rather than what we can do in spite of aging. Few of us have been taught to look for or appreciate what the years have given us because we are all too often focused on what the years have taken away.
This inspiring book is nothing less than a blueprint designed to help all of us age better by accepting and celebrating the aging process. Instead of looking at getting older as the enemy, this is the time to see it as a way to recognize different talents, appreciate the wisdom that comes with time and develop new, previously ignored interests.
Marilyn Murray Willison has had a varied career as a six-time nonfiction author, columnist, motivational speaker and journalist in both the U.K. and the U.S. She is the author of The Self-Empowered Woman blog and the award-winning memoir "One Woman, Four Decades, Eight Wishes." She can be reached at www.marilynwillison.com. To find out more about Marilyn and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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