By Lynn Kellogg
One retired acquaintance told me she planned to go find at least a part time job because she was “crawling the walls” at home. She asked me how I liked retirement.
I love it, but it took a deliberate journey to reinvent oneself. Within a span of 18 months, I was widowed following a 40+ year marriage, my dog died, and I retired from a job and people I loved.
There’s a known quip, “Successful aging is the ability to keep reinventing oneself”. This begs for a deliberate plan. I decided to make sure I planned activity in 3 buckets: new hobbies, travel, and purpose. No huge commitment: if I didn’t like something, I had the freedom to simply stop doing it.
All the above can also offer continued social connectivity, a proven key factor in maintaining good physical and mental health. Exploring different options, all my buckets are going well. This column falls squarely in the purpose bucket.
Whether it’s retirement, the end of a long caregiving role, widowhood, or just a sense of unfulfilled restlessness, exploring purpose is a good idea. Of all the buckets, it may be the most powerful for quality of life.
Returning to work in a new venture is common, volunteering is also powerful. At the Area Agency on Aging’s 50th anniversary celebration, 50 people over 60 years of age were recognized for amazing personal contributions.
One special award was given to a 99-year-old man who has spent 20 hours per week for nearly 20 years mentoring troubled or disadvantaged school children as a Foster Grandparent. Still volunteering and a sprite in his step as he accepted the award, the place exploded in applause.
Sometimes it may be hard to find the right fit. Change comes with age, and maintenance of good health takes effort. Friends and family often talk about varied health conditions and learn from each other. Everyone wants good outcomes.
That reality and a volunteer opportunity at Area Agency on Aging (AAA) may be a perfect match for one’s purpose bucket.
There are a series of classes called Personal Action Towards Health or PATH. These classes are proven to help people learn techniques and strategies for the day-to-day management of chronic or long-term health conditions.
The classes are evidence-based, meaning they’ve been university developed and tested to improve one’s ability to successfully adapt to change caused by a chronic condition. Topics approved for this area include coping with chronic disease in general, and special courses in managing chronic pain and diabetes.
AAA is recruiting volunteers to lead classes. Volunteer class leaders learn tips that may be helpful to them personally, but their resulting sharing of information with others has broad purposeful impact. In return for being trained, volunteers commit to leading at least 1 class per year, most want to go further.
Is this a possible match for your purpose bucket?? To learn more about how you can make a difference in the lives of seniors and younger persons with disabilities contact Julie Schwarz at (269) 982-7759 or julieschwarz@areaagencyonaging.org.
Additionally, the Computer Learning Center is also welcoming volunteers. The demand for IT training is high and de-mystifying the tools of today in person to answer questions and show “how-to” is a godsend to many. Are you willing to share your knowledge and time?
AAA has over 100 volunteers working throughout Southwest Michigan. They make a huge difference in the lives of others.
What gives you a sense of purpose? Consider AAA options as part the equation. Learn more about the full array of volunteer opportunities by visiting www.CampusForCreativeAging,org, or call the Info-Line for Aging and Disability at (800) 654-2810. You are needed.
Lynn Kellogg is former CEO of Region IV Area Agency on Aging in Southwest Michigan. Questions on age or independence services? Call the Info-Line for Aging & Disability at 800-654-2810 or visit areaagencyonaging.org. The Generations column appears each weekend in The Herald-Palladium.