Longevity Revolution: Living a Multi-Staged-Life
It’s not working anymore. The three stages of life, that is: beginning/education, middle/work and end/retirement. That’s because of the longevity revolution, because our life expectancy is slowly, but surely, reaching 100 years globally.
Today, we are living more than 30-years longer than our great-grandparents. This allows us an entire second adult lifespan.
Imagine aging without decrepitude: aging in a society where living is multi-staged and the boundaries are blurred; aging in a society where education, training, and work expand to the eighth decade and beyond.
It’s already happening…just as some of us are planning to transition to what earlier generations considered to be retirement, the golden years. Only now, we find our golden years may last three or more decades.
Are we ready for a multi-staged life where we go in and out of education/training, work, and retirement throughout our lifespan?
Do we have the policies, programs, infrastructure and attitudes in place so that increased longevity is a blessing rather than a curse?
Is anybody working on this important challenge that is already impacting us all? For, in truth, our generations are intertwined and we — all of us — must be about the important work of creating communities for all ages.
Spotlight on the #AgeFriendly movement globally and locally. It’s an idea whose time has come and, by all indications, it’s gaining steam. You can read all about Age-Friendly Sarasota an initiative of The Patterson Foundation, and after you do, please share your ideas about how to create a community for all ages. Contact us at [email protected] or @AgeFriendlySRQ.
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. “ – William James
Contact Vicki at [email protected]
Follow her on Twitter @SRQBoomer
Editor’s Note: Vicki Vega is an initiative consultant for Age-Friendly Sarasota. A thought leader in human development and a leading-edge baby boomer, she is blazing new trails with her cohorts, learning new skills and exploring new horizons.
