I’m moved by the African proverb, “When an elder dies, it’s like a library has burned down.”  Many indigenous communities couldn’t conceive of their cultural survival without Elders. In our digital world, libraries—and Elders—aren’t quite as popular as they used to be.  But both are important conduits for wisdom across the ages. Thomas Jefferson amassed t...

I’m on a campaign to take back the word "Elder." The confusion between the word "Elder" and "elderly" is dramatic. Merriam-Webster defines the word elderly as "rather old, especially being past middle age; old-fashioned or relating to or characteristic of later life or elderly persons." Synonyms are "aged, ancient, geriatric, long-lived, older, over-the-h...

We associate the word agnostic with a religious belief, but according to Webster’s broader definition, an agnostic is "a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of anything beyond material phenomena or a person with an orientation of doubt; a doubter." It definitely has negative connotations, but if we are age agnostic, we might doubt th...

How many times have you heard that someone is "set in their ways?"  Have you said it yourself as a defense against change?  That phrase is used as a blanket statement about older people.  I’m pretty sure it is not a compliment.  In my work with adult children who are trying to help their parents with decisions and plans, I hear it often:  “Dad will never...

I was introduced to a new word while reading Chip Conley’s book, Wisdom at Work: the Making of a Modern Elder. The word is "liminal" or "liminality", and it comes from the Latin word "limen", meaning "threshold – any point or place of entering or beginning." A liminal space is the time between the ‘what was’ and the ‘next.’ It is a place of transition, wa...

There is a lot written today about ‘being present.’ It can be a deep philosophical concept or just a cliché.  If you’re not a monk living in the wilderness, how do you actually live in the present?  The focus of this idea is that we can attain much more happiness in our lives if we stay out of the past and the future and live in the now. We may habitually...

When was the happiest time of your life?  Was it in your teenage years? Or maybe it was while raising your children. Or is it possibly right now?  Perhaps it helps to define happiness as a sense of freedom and/or contentment as opposed to feeling stressed and overburdened.  Dr. Laura Carstensen, founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity discov...

My older sister and I were on a road trip to Colorado and she mentioned to me that she was worried about having some memory issues. As the conversation ensued she said, “Connie, I’m terrified that I have early signs of dementia!”  Of course, I’m not an expert, but I’ve spent much of my life supporting families and individuals who are dealing with it.  Mem...

I spend a great deal of time reading and researching issues of the aging population.  I recently read an article in the Southwest Airline magazine about a gentleman named Chip Conley.  In his book, Wisdom @ Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, he describes our ability to continue to contribute in life, including in the workplace, at an advanced age.  After...