How are we modeling for young people how to grow old? Most of my days are spent with Emerging Adults, who are in a Season of Life that doesn’t typically lend itself to taking a long view of their existence. However, within the discipline of human performance, where topics include nutrition, the dimensions of wellness, aging, and dying, the tension arises within of how to best guide a generation, who is surrounded by immediate gratification, through learning these concepts when they feel so far removed from the here and now. And yet, as a middle-aged adult, the reality exists that the choices, behaviors, and habits we embrace today, can have a profound impact on our future well-being.

A large portion of my time is spent engaged with resources in efforts to understand today’s students, whether it’s how they learn best, how they navigate spiritual formation, or how they communicate, but perhaps there is added value in appreciating what can be gleaned from the other seasons of adulthood. As I witness many friends entering into a phase of life known as the Sandwich Generation (caring for both children and parents), perhaps it’s also time to embrace learning about Emerging Elderhood.

Although this phase of Elderhood has impacted every generation preceding us, we are presently experiencing it in some unique ways: (1) life expectancy is growing longer, (2) cultural norms have shifted away from intergenerational living; and (3) current healthcare practices are more focused on treating an ailment or disease and less aimed at preventative, lifestyle strategies that fall more into the category of health and wellness than healthcare. I often tease pharmacy students that my discipline is attempting to educate people to be less dependent, when possible, on their discipline. But the world we now live in is forcing us to rethink past approaches to this natural aging process.

In her book Elderhood, Linda Aronson advocates for transforming our current approach to growing older by reimagining physical spaces, medical school curriculum, and the existing way we do medicine. One of the ways this happens is through adding a stage of Elderhood to the present medical categories of childhood and adulthood. “Throughout ancient and medieval times, old age was defined as a distinct life stage. Though the number of stages varied, most commonly including three, four, six, or twelve, each stage was thought to have unique behavioral and health attributes but unclear transition phases. Aristotle identified three stages: growth, stasis, and decline, the last two correlating roughly with later notions of fit and frail elders, respectively…the Ninetieth Psalm fixed the life span at seventy years with seven age groups. This view of the human life span as made up of distinct stages persisted in the West until the eighteenth century.” Regardless of which model is selected, one of these mentioned here or my sport-themed Seasons of Life, the reality becomes that lives are extending in length, which means there are more years to consider how we approach our health and well-being.

So how are we modeling growing old? Are we Aging Gratefully or are we Aging Ugly? Are we allowing Scripture’s wisdom and the life experiences of intergenerational relationships to guide us in crafting best practices, or are we letting a fast-paced culture whisk us right through these life stages without reflection and intentionality? What are those of us in Emerging Elderhood and beyond modeling for young people today with regards to the eight dimensions of wellness: emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, physical, social, spiritual, and vocational? How do we help them grapple with Big Questions when they can’t Follow Where They’ve Been?

There are occasional moments when I am grateful to not be making the crucial decisions required of parenthood, but that doesn’t lessen the weight felt for walking alongside those who are. In your experience, what has been most influential in guiding you to make wise choices that have improved your life? Please consider sharing your answers in the comments below.

References:

Aronson, L. (2019). Elderhood: Redefining aging, transforming medicine, reimagining life. Bloomsbury Publishing.