At YouAreUNLTD, we’re always looking for great reads from various sources that highlight various issues around healthy aging. They might be educational, inspiring, provocative, or disruptive stories, but we think there are some that deserve to be on our radar and on yours. Here are a few that caught our attention this week….
1) Will Covid-19 Make The Decline Narrative of Aging Worse? Forbes
It’s a valid question that needs to be asked in the wake of the current pandemic. Author Richard Eisenberg points to social media and cable TV news as two sources of deepened ageism. Reports that focus on the decline, deterioration, decay, and dependency have made negative views of aging more public and more virulent, he says. Such a stance paints older people with the same brush and enforced stereotypes. This provocative story underscores the alarming societal shift occurring in the age of COVID where ageism is normalized.
2) An Economist Explains How Ageing Societies Should Respond to Pandemics, World Economic Forum
There has been so much written about COVID-19, but few pieces have done a deep dive into the economics of it in relation to an aging population. Andrew Scott, professor of economics, London Business School, explains it well and discusses how taking measures to save the lives of older people has a significant, positive economic impact. He encourages countries to take that into account when developing healthcare policies that improve how well the demographic grows older. With some governments’ lacking a comprehensive COVID response plan, emphasizing the financial angle might spark them to take action when appeals of a more humanitarian nature have failed. Plenty of food for thought here…
3) Still Growing: Three Pathways to Successful Aging, Psychology Today
Writer Meg Selig outlines three routes to make the most out of our later years. The article is succinct and lays out her views clearly. She talks about youthful/active aging, aka the ‘forever young’ approach, defined by self-care, disease prevention, and healthy behaviours. She also drills down on productive aging and the ability to live a meaningful life through continuing to contribute to society and conscious aging, the quest for spiritual meaning, and tapping into inner strength.
