We took to the airwaves recently, invited by WWDB Boomer Generation Radio talk show host Richard Address-- that's him on the left-- to let his listeners know what Coming of Age is up to in Philly. It’s all been memorialized via a podcast that you can check out here. Also, the current issue of Kiplinger's Retirement Report includes an article featuring Coming of Age. Alas, there’s no online version, but if you have a subscription, we’re on the page one in “Try Something New with an Encore Career.”
Like Salt-n-Pepa sang, let’s talk about sex. First up, an LGBT thing. The LGBT Elder Initiative will host a workshop to address obstacles to health and wellness for LGBT older women on Saturday, May 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the South Philadelphia Older Adult Center. More info and to register? 267-546-3448 or info@lgbtei.org. And why aren’t most men, gay or straight, getting help with erectile dysfunction? What’s up with that? Some good news for postmenopausal women, though: Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) significantly improves muscle function.
Guess what? We 50 plussers make better decisions. It’s all right here. We’re also volunteering more—or so it says here. But maybe not; another report says we’re volunteering less. You decide. One thing we defintely are doing is helping our elders more, a phenomenon that is good for all concerned. And for those of you who don’t like growing older (We don't understand that; we think it’s a great thing to do!) you might try revving up your “cellular garbage disposal” (Bet you didn't know you had one!) to delay the aging process. BTW, we’re not kidding.
AARP recently named long-time Coming of Age champion Bill Johnston-Walsh as AARP Pennsylvania state director. Bill will lead advocacy, community outreach and education efforts throughout the state. He’s been with AARP for seven years; before that he was Deputy Secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Aging. He’s also currently chair of the Mayor's Commission on Aging in Philadelphia. You know the old PA license plate slogan, “You’ve got a friend in Pennsylvania?” For older adults, Bill could well be our BFF.
Donna Summer had our number: We're "on the radio." And it would seem everywhere else journalists, producers and raconteurs are telling stories. Coming of Age says "It's All About What People 50+ Can Do" and it seems like the media is falling all over each other to tell our stories. Check out this segment from PBS-TV's Newshour about older entrepreneurs; a radio show called "And So It Goes," where elders share their stories with the radio audience, and an upcoming movie The Age of Love about... senior dating.
None other than our own Mayor Michael Nuitter was invited to pen this paean to our fair city, delightfully entited "City of Elderly Love" by AARP for their International Journal. Read it and feel proud (but don't forget we're also the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection). And in response to this piece there are some wonderful posts on this blog from GenPhilly-- young professionals in our town committed to creating a community in which we all thrive as we age.
Many of us struggle with the disconnect between the age we feel inside and the age we see and feel in our bodies (or see in the mirror). A new study in the journal Molecular Cell describes an exciting development in measuring biological aging, with implications in forensics, health treatments, and possibly ways to slow down the aging process. What's not to like? A high level look at the study's findings and some of its intriguing implications are here.
Maddy Dychtwald, nationally recognized author, demographer, public speaker and entrepreneur, describes three examples of exceptional women who provide a new image of what the future might hold for 40 million boomer women who will most likely live well into their 80's, 90's and beyond. These trailblazers offer hope and a new vision of what these later years might look like. Read the article here.
Earlier this year, Coming of Age was asked to make a "Big Idea" presentation at Encore 2013, in Sausalito, CA, using the fast-paced Ignite format-- a five-minute presentation with 20 slides, with each slide advancing every 15 seconds. Our idea? To do for the Encore Life Stage what Eve Ensler did for women's sexuality and empowerment in "The Vagina Monologues." The Huffington Post covered our idea for "The Encore Monologues" in this article.
