What does it mean to age consciously?

A good question since most of us age unconsciously.

We enter into those later years filled with misunderstanding, half truths, flat out lies, and old wives’ tales about what it means to grow old. And we end up living out our lives just so.

That’s why Wayne Lehrer wrote The Art of Conscious Aging.

Wayne also speaks to older adults living in retirement communities. Together, they explore conscious aging and Wayne tries to help them shatter the illusions about becoming old.

This week on The Art 2 Aging, Wayne talks about the attitudes he’s encountered during these discussions.

Some of them are going to surprise you.

Recently, the Global Wellness Institute commissioned three studies to determine what aging well means in different countries.

More than 20 experts working in the aging field on retirement, health, and market research were asked for their views (that study can be found here).

Over 25 creative directors from ad and marketing agencies were surveyed to determine what makes good advertising for an aging well message and why agencies continue to miss the advertising mark.

A thousand people in each of five countries were asked a series of questions about how they view getting older, what they want out of older age and what they fear the most. When that study is released in August, The Art 2 Aging will update you.

With five countries and nearly 50 experts surveyed, you wouldn’t be wrong in assuming a wide variety of views was expressed. Or would you?

Veteran marketing and advertising executive, Dave McCaughan, headed several of the studies for the Institute.

He joins The Art 2 Aging this week to discuss what he and his teams discovered.

Who are the rich and powerful? The tech bros? Nope.

According to a 54 year old Yale professor whose income is north of $250 thousand a year, it’s older adults like you and me!

You didn’t know how influential and affluent you are, did you (in Canada, one of the major banks has an ad slogan that goes, “You’re richer than you think”)?

Back in April, the New York Times ran an opinion piece by Professor Samuel Moyn entitled, “Older Americans Are Hoarding America’s Potential” in which he argues for things like restricted voting for older adults, mandatory retirement, taxes on the homes of older people and other “creative” solutions to counter what he refers to as “gerontocracy” in the United States today.

Needless to say, the op ed has stirred things up. Janine Vanderburg, founder of Encore Roadmap, and a fearless opponent of ageism, has angrily opposed Moyn’s arguments in her writings.

She is our esteemed guest this week on The Art 2 Aging.