“Grow old with me,” poet Robert Browning famously wrote. “The best is yet to be.” That can be true of course, but it’s by no means a guarantee. Browning lived to age 77, which for the 19th century was quite good. His wife, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, however, died at age 55.
But the idea of ensuring healthy, vibrant, and meaningful lives well past retirement age has never had so much support in popular culture as it does right now, largely due to the fact that the population is getting older. In the U.S., between 2006 to 2016, the population age 65 and older grew from 37 million to 49 million — an increase of a third in just a decade. And that’s expected to nearly double to more than 95 million by 2060. Maybe more surprising, the 85 and over population is projected to more than double from 6.4 million in 2016 to 14.6 million in 2040 — just 19 years from now. The two main reasons for this are increased longevity due to medical advances and workplace safety improvements, and the baby-boom generation born during America’s post-war economic explosion.
(l-r) Diane Martin, Rona Kramer, Bruce Jarrell, Nicole Brandt, and Jay Magaziner
A longer life doesn’t necessarily come with a better quality of life, however. Along with age comes a panoply of challenges. Many face deterioration of everything from joints and muscles to eyesight and memory. Seniors also risk isolation and a sense of purposelessness after retirement. The good news is…
