For many of today’s aging adults, retirement is a fallacy more than a reality but not because the aging population can’t afford to retire. Instead, seniors are choosing to stay active and connected in their communities and are doing so in a variety of ways.
Many are chasing after their dreams of obtaining higher education with lifelong learning foundations, community colleges and universities supporting them. They’re hitting the books and succeeding in obtaining high school diplomas, enrolling in lifelong learning programs and sitting in on university level classes. In fact, all 50 states offer programs that welcome senior citizens into the classroom, often at no charge or reduced tuition rates, with many programs targeted specifically to senior citizens.
Others are finding it rewarding to pursue volunteer opportunities whether in service to their peers or mentoring children, young adults or veterans at home and abroad. This group of seniors considers their pay check the feeling of accomplishment they acquire from giving back. In the course of their volunteer work, they find motivation to get out of the house, meet new people, make new friends and, more importantly, make a difference. They report their general well being has improved and find they’re more in sync with their physical and mental fitness.
Senior inventors are collaborating with their retired peeps. With more time to devote to tinkering with the constant barrage of ideas renting space in their heads, they’re diligently working out of basements and garages building better mousetraps. This group of seniors is responsible for developing solar water purification systems for third world countries, engineering thrill rides for theme parks and aiding in the development of new eye glass technology for, you guessed it, other seniors.
No novice to the arts and entertainment business, seniors are rallying together and creating their own art galleries. Exhibitions feature the work of re-emerging and late-career artists age 60 years and older. Creative seniors are also looking for places to live where they’re not treated like seniors. Some are finding affordable housing in retirement art colonies where they’re encouraged to tap into their creativity by participating in dramatic arts classes, in-house theater productions, on-site sculpture and painting studios and filmmaking with the help of their iPads.
Seniors are also busy building businesses of their own with statistics indicating aging adults are the fastest growing segment of entrepreneurs in the world. Whether broadcasting from their own radio stations, pairing chaperones and personal tour guides with visitors to NYC or starting up public relations firms, seniors still have their chips in the game.
Which brings us to the sports arena where one class of seniors is, at this very moment, preparing to compete in national senior games throughout the country in any of 20 categories including swimming, tennis, archery and track and field just to name a few. To participate, they must be 50 years old or older and qualify through state level games.
With the world as their playground, seniors seem to be doing everything imaginable in their retirement years with little having to do with retirement and more having to do with staying connected. What they’re not doing is sitting idly by in isolation waiting for the grim reaper to cross their names off his list. By all appearances they’re quite adept, both mentally and physically, and working hard to beat him at his game.
Baxter Senior Living is a Senior Housing Community that will be located in Anchorage, Alaska off of Baxter Road. If you are seeking Anchorage Senior Housing, or Assisted Living Facilities in Alaska please contact us today to make your reservations. (907) 891-9696 or fill out our contact form and we will be in touch! contact us
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