• Remaining independent for as long as possible.
• Being healthy and mobile enough to enjoy hobbies and time with family.
• Feeling useful, whether through continued work, volunteer activities, or family obligations.
• Having enough money to live comfortably after retirement.
However, as mentioned, there seems to be a wide gap between what people say is important and what actually happens. Simply put, most Americans are not planning effectively to achieve these goals. Consider the following:
• According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, only 40 percent of Americans have tried to figure out how much to save for retirement. Only 51 percent say they have a retirement account through an employer and only 28 percent had a separate retirement account.
• The majority of people say they want control over their health decisions, but only 25 to 30 percent of those surveyed have an advanced health directive or living will.
• Less than one-third of adults have discussed their end-of-life wishes with children or other family members.
• Though the key to preventing chronic illnesses such as heart disease is managing risk factors—high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood glucose levels—many adults in the United States do not get regular health screenings, which can detect these problems at the earliest stages, allowing for lifestyle changes and/or proper treatment.
Considering that the resources and benefits available for seniors today may or may not be available in the future, this lack of planning becomes even more troubling.
A Change in Attitude
Perhaps one of the reasons we don’t do a good job of planning for our senior years is because growing old is something about which we don’t like to think, so we continually put it off. For instance, the majority of people surveyed by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) believed that an advanced health directive and durable power of attorney were only necessary for “very sick or very old people.”
“That’s a common misperception,” says Christopher J. Berry, Certified Elder Law Attorney. “In reality, these documents should be prepared while we are healthy and our decisions are not complicated by age, illness, medications, or end-of-life emotions. Making these plans provides peace of mind for yourself and your loved ones. In fact, medical powers of attorney and financial powers of attorney should be prepared when you turn 18 and are legally an adult. You never know when life will throw you a curve ball.”
Of course, as Berry points out, these documents are not just for older folks; accidents and unexpected health crises can happen at any age. We have all heard the heartbreaking stories of people who suddenly lose a loved one and find themselves trying to untangle a financial and legal mess. While most people understand that proper planning can prevent these problems, many still fail to make those plans.
Our reluctance may also have something to do with the youth-centered culture in which we live. Youth is celebrated, while growing old is often portrayed negatively, as something to be dreaded and avoided. Just look at the billions of dollars generated by the sale of antiaging products—from wrinkle creams and cosmetic surgery meant to maintain our youthful appearance, to vitamins and herbal remedies that promise to slow down or even reverse the aging process. In fact, the market for antiaging products and treatments is one of the fastest growing business segments in our nation.
The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus thought that “old age was the pinnacle of life,” while recognizing that each stage in life has its own qualities and advantages, as well as disadvantages. Successful aging comes when we are able to make the most of both the virtues and the vices.
In many cultures, including those with a high concentration of centenarians, aging comes with a badge of honor. Seniors are respected for their wisdom and given a sense of purpose by being asked to help raise children and contribute to the family household. Indeed, one of the secrets of successful aging is adopting a positive attitude about growing old. As we plan for late life, we should not think of aging as something to fear and revile—an inevitable decline—but rather a time of new beginnings, as well as intellectual and spiritual growth. Our senior years can be a time of productivity and fulfillment—with a little preparation.
Never Too Late
Chronological age is just a number—not your identity. Look around and you’ll discover many inspiring examples of people pursuing dreams and achieving success late in life, refusing to be defined by their age. Some notable illustrations:
• At 77 years old, Senator John Glenn was the oldest person to board a U.S. space shuttle. When asked if he thought he was too old for the mission, he responded, “Too many people, when they get old, think that they have to live by the calendar.”
• Anna Mary Robertson Moses, better known as Grandma Moses, didn’t pick up a paintbrush until she was in her 70s, after arthritis forced her to give up a career in embroidery. By the time she died in 1961 at the age of 101, she had become one of America’s most beloved artists, her paintings adorning the walls of museums around the world. Grandma Moses had no formal art training, but she painted every day, completing more than a thousand works of art in 25 years. As Moses said (and demonstrated), “One is never too old to succeed in life.”
• The best-selling author Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t publish her first book until she was 64. She spent most of her life as a teacher and a farmer’s wife, occasionally writing articles on farming and rural life in the early 1900s. With her daughter’s encouragement, she started writing about her pioneering childhood and published Little House in the Big Woods in 1932 (which later inspired the popular television series Little House on the Prairie).
• Despite health issues, including diabetes and arthritis, Ray Kroc set out to make McDonald’s a household name at the age of 52. But first he spent 17 years as a paper cup salesman and another 17 years selling a machine called the Multimixer, which could whip up five milkshakes at once. Though the invention was designed for drug stores with soda fountains, Kroc had more success selling the device to hamburger joints and drive-ins, which is how he met Maurice and Richard McDonald. The McDonald brothers owned a few restaurants in California and Arizona, but Kroc suggested they franchise their operation on a national scale and volunteered to take on the task. Seven years later, he became the owner of a franchise that would sell more than a billion hamburgers by 1963. Today, McDonald’s is the most successful fast food operation in the world.
• As a young housewife, Julia Child was not a particularly good cook—she noted that she didn’t even know what a shallot was. When she moved to France with her husband, she began looking for something to occupy herself and decided to learn how to make French cuisine. She studied at the Cordon Bleu cooking school and fell in love. She once wrote, “To think it has taken me 40 years to find my true passion.” It took another decade and numerous rejections before she published her famous book Mastering the Art of French Cooking and began her long-running PBS program The French Chef at the age of 51.
• In 1994, when he was nearly 76, Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa in the first election open to all races in that country’s history. After a life-long struggle against racial segregation and nearly 27 years in prison, Mandela became instrumental in abolishing apartheid in his homeland. He was an activist, politician, lawyer, and philanthropist who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and worked to end poverty through the Nelson Mandela Foundation until his death at the age of 95.
• After teaching at St. Mary’s School for Girls in India for 17 years, Mother Teresa experienced what she referred to as “the call within the call” to work with the poor in the streets of Calcutta. At age 38, she left the Sisters of Loretto to move into the slums, where she started a school and tended to the sick and dying. At the age of 40, she