I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.
As I recently blew out 67 flaming candles on my birthday cake, several people told me I looked absolutely “radiant.” I wondered if that was a compliment or if they were remarking on how all the heat from so many candles reflected on my face?
Sometimes we joke about our age, but sincerely for me every day is a gift. I even cherish the visible symbols of aging that show on my face and body. My mirror clearly shows every laugh line and age spot. I just shrug and consider those as proudly earned badges of honor. My son is 40, my grandson graduated from high school this year, and I’m hoping I can live in high gear long enough to complete the many things yet to check off on my bucket list.
Sadly, too many people today live long…but not well. My own mother was unable to communicate with me for the last years of her life. The ending to her life was a sad for everyone. The long goodbye had impacted me and let me to a career as a healthcare clinician and adult development professional. As a speech pathologist, I specialized in stroke survivor rehabilitation, and I witnessed the amazing capability of the brain to rewire itself in many cases.
My personal mission today is to help as many people as I can understand how to keep their brains as healthy as possible and to help people reduce risks of Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, stroke…and other age-related health assaults.
What’s next?
The number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease is growing…and growing fast. An estimated 5.4 million Americans of all ages have the disease in 2016. (That is one in nine people age 65 and older!)
These numbers will escalate rapidly in coming years as the baby boom generation has begun to reach 65 and beyond. By mid-century, someone in the United States will develop the disease every 33 seconds.
You are invited to become part of the “Generation Age-less” continuous learning community. Check our website again soon for new health and well-being information on the “Fuel for Thought” blog. In addition, Octane for the Brain’s “Generation Age-less” community will soon have its own site on Facebook. Stay tuned…