The famous American publisher Katherine Meyer Graham had it right when she said, “No one can avoid aging, but aging productively is something else.” She recognized that our senior years are not a time to merely sit back and pass the time, but are instead a time to thrive. Retirement communities across the country are changing the way we think about senior living, recognizing that we have the power to change lives by helping seniors live more active and productive lifestyles — ultimately creating a stronger sense of fulfillment.
According to a MacArthur Foundation Study on Aging, which serves as the foundation for the Masterpiece Living approach to senior living, how we age is only 30 percent determined by genetics and 70 percent based on lifestyle, meaning that in order to live longer, healthier lives, we need to continue to challenge ourselves and step outside our comfort zones in varying aspects of our lives.
The same study also found that those who were most likely to age successfully had three characteristics in common: 1) They challenged themselves physically and mentally; 2) they stayed engaged in life with a network of friends and doing meaningful activity; and 3) they used all available resources to lower their risk of developing disease or injury, including regular checkups, diet, etc.
A focus on four key pillars of well-being — physical, intellectual, spiritual and social — can help ensure that we are challenging ourselves in all aspects of our lives, creating the sense of balance that can lead to optimal fulfillment.
Physical: Physical activity is one of the best things you can do to age successfully, increasing brain health and decreasing the risks for certain diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
Intellectual: We spend more than half of our lives working and learning new things, but research shows that our senior years are not the time to stop challenging ourselves. Activities like crossword puzzles and language classes can enhance the brain’s ability to resist the onset of dementia.
Social: The same MacArthur Foundation study found that social connections are the best predictor of happiness. Participating in group activities at senior living communities or connecting with seniors in the larger community can help create social fulfillment.
Spiritual: A recent study published in the Journal of Psychology and Health revealed that people who attend a weekly religious service may decrease their risk of death by 20 percent compared to people who don’t attend services. Tai Chi, meditation, philosophical exploration and appreciation of nature are additional avenues that can help provide spiritual fulfillment.
The benefits of a proactive approach to senior living are hard to ignore. Retirement communities across the country are helping residents make the most of their senior years by placing the right resources at their fingertips. Recognizing that not all seniors share the same interests, it is important to seek input from residents to understand what will empower them to become involved.
At Westminster Village, a continuing care retirement community in Dover, Del., currently in the process of implementing the Masterpiece Living approach, one resident aspired to share her love for yoga with other residents. When yoga helped to improve a calcified spinal column and severe rheumatoid arthritis for 91-year-old Mabes Morrill, she made it her mission in life to teach yoga for free. Forty years later, she is bringing her practice to the residents of Westminster Village, as she aspires to transform more lives through yoga.
Each one of us can learn a thing or two from Mabes Morrill. Finding something that we’re passionate about, that challenges us physically, intellectually, socially and spiritually, and that we’re eager to share with others, may not guarantee that we’re teaching yoga at age 91, but it can help create fulfillment and balance in our lives. Perhaps the “fountain of youth” is less about searching for a magic fountain that keeps us young forever and more about recognizing that the power to stay youthful lies within us.
STEVE PROCTOR is president and CEO at Presbyterian Senior Living. He has been with the company for more than 40 years, and has served in his current role since 1996.
