What Is Aging Greatly?
May is Older Americans Month, and our theme for May is going to be Aging Greatly.
According to the 2019 census, 54.1 million people are 65 years or older.
Every day in the United States, ten thousand people turn the age 65.
More than one out of seven people (would that be two?) are 65 or older!
In April of 1960, President Kennedy and members of the National Council of Senior Citizens designated May as Senior Citizen Month. This was the prelude to what we have today: Older Americans Month, or OAM. (We love an acronym.)
Historically, every president since Kennedy in 1963 has issued a proclamation asking the nation to celebrate older Americans: their past and present contributions to their communities, to raise awareness about issues related to age and aging.
What do I mean by aging greatly? And how does that relate to our own self-care?
First, self-care has been defined as a multi-dimensional, multi-faceted process of purposeful engagement in strategies that promote healthy functioning and enhanced well-being. In other words, it’s a conscious effort to take care of one’s own physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
OAM is celebrated across the country through ceremonies, events, fairs, and other themed activities. In 2021, the theme was “Communities of Strength.” Older adults have built resilience and strength over their lives through successes, failures, joys, and difficulties, and they share that through storytelling to help and support others.
What stories might you be able to document or relate so that on down the road individuals and communities, family and friends, may be inspired by something that you have done?
How can you relate through your self-care to your community? What is special to you? What may be happening in your community, town, or neighborhood?
In 2022, the theme is currently “Age My Way.”
Well, I’m all about that.
You see, I love Frank Sinatra. It’s always been “My Way.” “Age My Way” is an opportunity for all of us to explore the many ways that we can remain involved with our community.
Here are some activities that we may be able to celebrate for Older Americans Month while also taking care of ourselves!
Attend a birthday party for an older person
Send a card celebrating their life
Host or attend scrapbooking parties! Get together with a few individuals and bring together pictures and newspaper articles to document your stories.
Or story circles: come together with individuals to share those stories
Not only does it take care of them, but it also takes care of us, our own self-care.
You see, aging is a humble opportunity. So let’s all Age Greatly.
Breathe in “Oh well.”
Exhale, “So what?”
Stay strong, stretched, and centered, and stay engaged,
mj