The Life Span of Loneliness, a video and article from The New York Times, was inspired by Vivek Murthy’s essay on this topic earlier in 2023. Loneliness is a public health emergency—for those who are aging and for everyone else. We have seen in research that isolation is one of the major fears people have as they age.

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It’s time for the country to have an honest conversation about aging.

Open now. A special New York Times section on aging in America touching many topics and issues—and initiating conversation about aging today.

Growing much older is Canada’s new reality, and a non-reversable trend. Let’s embrace it, rebrand what it means to age, and recognize aging as the privilege that it truly is.

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 … we’re witnessing the spread of a new life stage. In the 21st century, another new phase is developing, between the career phase and senescence. People are living longer lives…If these…programs can help older people figure out what a fulfilling life looks like when work and career are no longer in the center, then maybe they’ll have some lessons for the rest of us…Most revolutions come from the young. Is it possible that the one we need now will be driven by the old?

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There are so many benefits of home sharing beyond the relatively small amount of rent that can come with it. Rabbi Laura Geller, Rabbi Emerita at Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, is the co-author of  “Getting Good at Getting Older and is the Chair of Synagogue Village Network. Click here.

Gen Z is soft, millennials are embarrassing, boomers are evil, and no one has thought about Gen X in years. But while generational framings are ubiquitous, just how real are these fault lines?

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By Rabbi Laura Geller, Professor David Elcott and Stuart Himmelfarb

Read this recent article from eJewishPhilanthropy about our recent Active Aging Convening entitled “The Challenges and Opportunities of Longevity — A  Jewish Communal Response.”  It captures the growing interest among a wide range of Jewish organizations in understanding the impact of longevity and learning about new models of engagement in Jewish life.

Read it here.

Modern Elder Academy hosted an online session entitled “The Power of Reinvention” on July 12, 2023, featuring Chip Conley and Joanne Lipman. They explored the skills and mindsets needed for reinvention, discussing how it can manifest in our lives and the transformative role of struggle. They also addressed midlife changes and Ms. Lipman’s four stages of the Reinvention Roadmap: search, struggle, stop, and solution. Joanne Lipman is the author of Next! The Power of Reinvention in Life and Work. Chip Conley is the founder of MEA. 

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The idea of a retirement purposely filled with work might seem dismal—proof that we’ve prioritized achievement over happiness for so long that we can’t even stop in our 60s. But there might be a less pessimistic way to look at those who actively choose semi-retirement. Read it here.

by MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press; May 25, 2023

The share of residents 65 or older grew by more than a third from 2010 to 2020 and at the fastest rate of any decade in 130 years, while the share of children declined, according to new figures from the most recent census… Combined, the trends mean the median age in the U.S. jumped from 37.2 to 38.8 over the decade.

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Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Vol. 107, April 2023

…participants who exercised ≥ 2 times/week with others…showed a lower risk of developing cognitive impairment than those who did not exercise with others. 

…if all participants exercised alone or with others ≥ 2 times/week, the risk of cognitive impairment decreased by 15.1% and 29.2%, respectively.

Both forms of exercise reduced the development of cognitive impairment, with exercising with others potentially being highly effective in preventing cognitive impairment.

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What could be more optimistic than dining with eight people you’ve never met in hopes of making a new friend?

…everyone had come for the same reason: to connect with strangers in real life and potentially make a new friend… A 2010 report in The Journal of Health and Social Behavior showed that low social connection is linked to poor health outcomes, including heart attacks and cancer, as well as other conditions. Lacking connection has also been found to be worse for your health than smoking, obesity or high blood pressure. As a predictor for a happy life, strong relationships are more reliable than such factors as wealth and I.Q.

The New York Times, March 11, 2023, by Setareh Baig

Read it here.