Friday, December 5, 2008

How You Live Your Life Today...

Posted by Leona Bergstrom

I was interested to read in this week’s Seattle Times that Dr. K. Warner Schaei, an 80 year old “retired” professor from Penn State University is moving back to Seattle. He has been a student and teacher of gerontology for over 50 years and has conducted one of the most extensive and lasting psychological research studies on how people develop and change cognitively as they age. His longitudinal study, based in Seattle, has spanned 50 years and included three generations. The Seattle Times states “Information from this study has helped change mandatory-retirement law and combat phrases like ‘having a senior moment’ and other examples of ageism. (I’ll comment on my disgust with that phrase at another time....)

One of Dr. Schaei’s statements confirms something we’ve all contemplated: “How you live your life makes a difference as to how you will move into old age. You don’t suddenly become a member of a different species when you grow old. It’s clear that a person who is quick-minded and not rigid in his thinking has an advantage. Things change, but if you’re a good problem solver or successfully handled a personal crisis when you were younger, you will likely continue to do so.”(Photo by peamasher, shared via Flickr)

No comments: