Health & Wellness Article - September 2010Successful aging lived by a mentor
“Human beings need the freedom to live with change, to invent and reinvent themselves a number of times through their lives.”
Article content I have had the good fortune to have many mentors over the course of my career. Dr. Robert Butler was one of them. I first met him when I was a student in the early ’70s—before I even knew that I would be interested in a career in the emerging field of “healthy aging.” I served an internship at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas, where I worked with Dr. Butler and Dr. Ken Cooper (the man who coined the word “aerobics”).
No other person to date has made quite the impact on the field as Dr. Butler. In fact, he created the National Institute on Aging in 1975 and directed it for six years. Other “firsts” under his leadership are coining the work “ageism,” creating a department devoted solely to gerontology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan (1982), and chairing the 1995 White House Conference on Aging.
Earlier this year in Chicago, Dr. Butler served on a panel of experts who presented the keynote at the American Society on Aging annual conference. I sat in the audience as amazed at his wisdom and vision as I had been more than 30 years ago.
One of his most important and enduring messages is that it is not the experts—scientists, scholars, researchers, physicians, and other health professionals—who define successful aging. It is the elders worldwide who share their wisdom and experience about navigating the journey of life over the whole lifespan. The professionals measure physiology; happiness quotients; productivity; mental acuity; and the impact of diet, exercise, and social networks. But elders have a different definition of successful aging.
Being able to adapt to circumstances of a changing life, especially loss and pain, is the number one factor for aging successfully, according to the longitudinal study conducted by the American Federation of Aging Research. In addition, quality of life as opposed to quantity of life was cited. And the benefit is “… reaching one’s potential and arriving at a level of physical, social, and psychological well-being in old age that is pleasing to both self and others.” (Gibson, 1995)
In Touchmark communities, we continue the work inspired by Dr. Butler. The goal of the Life Enrichment/Wellness program is to support every resident in reaching his/her full potential as the changing days of our lives unfold. To participate in and contribute ideas to our programs, contact a Life Enrichment/Wellness director at any Touchmark community.
© 2008 Touchmark