From the moment we’re born, everyone gets older every day. Not everyone cherishes the process, though, so on Sept. 25, Pathlights will host a symposium designed to combat stereotypes about aging.
“Our AgeWell Symposium is dedicated to turning that attitude around,” said Elaine Grande, executive director of Pathlights.
The symposium will include talks by experts in aging who will educate the community about creating second acts after retirement and seeing growing older as an exciting, positive phase of life.
“In the U.S., capitalism is very ingrained in us, and that can translate into seeming to have less worth as we retire and are less traditionally productive,” said symposium speaker Lydia Manning, a social gerontologist.
“The word ‘old’ should be abolished from our vocabulary,” said speaker Colleen Ceh Becvar, gerontologist and certified care manager. “That word contributes to ageism. We say things like, ‘I’m too old for skiing’ when what we really mean is, ‘If I have an injury, it will take me longer to heal,’ so let’s say that instead. Modern medicine has advanced so that decline and chronic disease is no longer tied to getting older. Older people are not naturally decrepit; they are leading more robust, stronger lives – it’s becoming more the norm.”
The symposium is free for anyone in the community who is interested in or involved in the process of growing older.
“We expect to see an audience of older adults who are hoping to improve their own path as they age, caregivers who want to educate themselves about the latest theories and data about aging positively, and people who are helping a loved one along the journey – and may be looking at that journey themselves in a few decades,” Grande said.
Check in will begin at 8 a.m. at the DoubleTree Alsip, 5000 W. 127th St. in Alsip. Presentations by Ceh Becvar and Manning will begin at 9 a.m. Leanne Jackowiak will lead a chair yoga session for all fitness levels between presentations.
Lunch is included, and also free, with registration. For more information and to join the waitlist, visit Pathlights.org or call 708-361-0219.
