Changing Aging

Last week was a pretty interesting action packed week related to ”changing aging” in Minnesota . . . you can feel people feeling an opportunity to transform aging . . .

- There was the Department of Human Services Transform 2010 Summit in St. Paul.  It was packed with more than 200 people looking at the future.  If you want to attend one of these sessions in your part of the state, here’s a link to upcoming meetings this month and next. 

- Archbishop Harry Flynn came out on Friday with his first of a three-part column series in the Archdiocesean newpaper on the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis work in preparing for the Age Wave.  You can read his recent Pastoral Letter on Aging here.

- And then there was a fascinating discussion hosted by the Minnesota Senior Federation to discuss reframing the role and responsibilty of the Senior Federation as it enters the Age Wave.  People of varied ages were there from diverse sectors, such as health plans, foundations, senior housing organizations, marketing, and elsewhere.

What was especially interesting (and energizing) is how people of various ages all agreed on things that were on their mind as they think about Minnesota’s age wave.  Here are a number of them in various categories:

Economic
- Not outliving income
- Housing: staying or moving?
- Legacy planning
- Who will take care of Minnesotans?
- Going from “Working” to “Lifework” (Remember, most boomers said in our Age Wave Study, they’re going to do work they enjoy)
- Working on my terms, not someone else’s
- Starting up businesses

Social/Community
- Want to stay in community
- Want social contact
- Opportunities for civic and social engagement
- Lifelong learning

Recreation/Lifestyle
- Say goodbye to the “senior center”; will be replaced by community centers/all ages
- Alternative housing options
- “Senior Needs” won’t be so much different from rest of the community; in other words seniors won’t be viewed as so different from the rest of the community
- Need transportation to maintain lifestyle
- Stay physically active
- technology (social networking)

Health and Wellness
- Access to health services; doctor will see them
- Be able to afford care
- Proactive, preventive health care
- Keeping seniors active
- Enabling independence
- Technology (sharing information, reach into rural areas)

As Bob Dylan sang, “The times, they are a changing.”