45 Forward

As we look around us today, there’s no question that this is a time of great transition. For baby boomers like me, it’s the inevitable transition to the end of our generation’s presence and influence, a passing of our lives, as well as the symbolic passing of the torch, and of our legacy to the next generations. It is also a time of immense disruption, tectonic shifts in our economy and society, with a war abroad, political division at home, a worldwide pandemic and climate change. Of course, such disruption can open up opportunities for new, and sometimes surprising, opportunities in life. But it also precipitates a profound sense of loss and grieving at many levels, starting with our families. In today’s conversation, I’ll be talking with Susan Capurso, the owner of East End Doula Care here on Long Island, New York, who is widely recognized for her remarkable work guiding and supporting individuals and their families—emotionally, practically, and spiritually—through an end-of-life journey. A three-time author, Susan is the creator of the “The Healing Garden Bowl,” a bowl filled with Long Island stones with inspiring messages for you to gift a friend when their going through a personal challenge. Susan facilitates “Family Grief Ceremonies” in the comfort of your home and virtually as well. She is also a “Legacy Creator,” and will talk about “The Story of Me,” a project she brings to families that is not only a passion of hers, but one that can change the course of history for every one of our listeners today. These are challenging transitions, but also part of life’s natural journey, and if we address them with care and openness, they can provide an invaluable opportunity to support and honor both ourselves…and our loved ones.

As we get older, one of the most important ingredients to healthy aging, experts say, is lifelong learning—a self-motivated pursuit of new ideas, skills and knowledge, particularly in the second half of life. But today, we’re going to take a very different spin on lifelong learning, as we talk with Roberta Israeloff and George McDermott, the co-authors of a fascinating book, “What Went Right: Lessons from Both Sides of the Teacher’s Desk.” Roberta, a lifelong writer, is Director of the nonprofit Squire Family Foundation, dedicated to encouraging the teaching of philosophy at pre-college levels. And George, a writer and poet, is a former teacher who also had extensive editorial experience in several business and media fields over the course of his career. The two met in the late 1960s, when George was a young English teacher at Syosset High School on Long Island; Roberta was one of his students. “One of us was the teacher, one of us was the student. Mostly what we did was argue,” they recalled. But when they found each other on social media several years ago, they began a steady correspondence that became a book about their own “lifelong learning”—resulting in a provocative and vibrant exchange about their perspectives on public education over time, from inside and outside the classroom. Everything from their experiences as teachers, to the continuous debate over standardized testing, to the perennial questions about how education should prepare students to be “human,” to be discerning and productive citizens in a complex, increasingly divisive and unpredictable world. But it is also a story about what Roberta and George learned about themselves; what they remembered; how they reconnected; what went right (and wrong); what changed over their lives; and what has remained the same—what endures. Today’s conversation is Part I of a unique 3-part series that will continue in July and August.

Taking care of an elderly loved one—or yourself, for that matter, as you age—can be a complicated challenge. Analyzing the medical options of the healthcare maze, on top of elder law and estate planning, can be confusing and frustrating—even frightening. What’s clear is that to successfully navigate this stretch in life’s journey, families need a team—a team of advocates to guide them. In today’s episode, two top experts, Dr. Georganne Vartorella, the president and founder of Patient Advocacy MD in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, and Ronald Fatoullah, the president and founder of Ronald Fatoullah & Associates in New York, talk about how they advocate for families, each with a unique set of skills, knowledge and experience in their respective fields. Georganne will describe how she and her team work to bring together families, social workers and doctors to communicate effectively about diagnosis, treatments and alternatives for care. What guidance or support they might need? What are the pitfalls of the system? How can we think in advance about available options depending on status and healthcare needs? And how can we remove risks and roadblocks to keep everyone working together for aligned goals? For his part, Ron will talk about how he works with array of experts to help guide families through sometimes difficult conversations to meet the needs of their elderly loved ones, whether they need immediate assistance to face a sudden long-term care crisis; understand the nuances of new laws affecting seniors; or are looking to create an estate plan for future generations. Both Georganne and Ron are steadfastly committed to educating, advocating and empowering people to chart their own path to health, well-being and financial stability. Their goal is not only to improve the lives of their patients and clients, but the lives of all seniors—to be their voice when people may not be able to advocate for themselves.

Most will unknowingly give away about 10 years of healthy living—our “healthspan” years—and the opportunity to continue enjoying daily living to the fullest. We know this, says longevity expert and educator Scott Fulton, based on data gathered from hundreds of millions of people. We don’t hear a lot about it, Scott adds, because the things that promote longevity aren’t deeply rooted in anti-aging products or retirement resorts, but rather in simple, accessible lifestyle choices. In today’s episode, Scott—a researcher, innovator, and engineer by training—talks about how millions of us could easily live healthy to 95, with just some basic education on how interconnected our bodies are with our lifestyle choices and our environment. No pills or potions; just informed natural choices, resulting in both immediate and sustainable lifestyle benefits. Scott will explain how people can “reverse engineer” the life they dream of, improve the quality of life today and achieve additional healthier years in the future by balancing what he calls the “Five Pillars of Longevity Success”: Mind, Environment Diet, Exercise and Community. Scott, who established Home Ideations, a livability consulting company, is also a dedicated educator at heart, and he will describe his dynamic adult education courses, the Longevity Advantage™, and Whealthspan™, a balanced investment approach to both health and wealth. Life happens, and if decisions are left unaddressed, they make themselves. Ultimately, longevity isn’t about doing one thing right, or about perfection, or just for the chosen few, Scott notes. It’s available to almost all of us and it’s just about making informed choices along the journey of life.

As we get older and become empty nesters, one question naturally arises: “Should we downsize to a smaller house?” It’s clear we don’t need all that space—or the continued expense and time it takes to maintain a large family home. But…we still love the idea of living in our own home. Where can we go? Better call Sheri. In today’s episode, we call on Sheri Koones, an award-winning author and recognized national authority on home construction, who explains the mass shift from expensive suburban and urban living to smaller, more affordable homes. Sheri, the author of 10 books over 20 years, has written on a wide array of housing topics, from the growing movement in “tiny houses,” to the latest trends in prefabricated, energy-efficient and sustainable homes. In her latest, recently published book, “Bigger than Tiny, Smaller than Average,” Sheri offers examples of small-house options around the country. In today’s conversation, she’ll talk about what kinds of consumers are driving the small-housing movement, in some cases driven by a desire for a different lifestyle, in other cases compelled by a need to create a smaller environmental footprint. As we move forward through the pandemic-turned-endemic, Sheri will also describe the shift toward homeowners interested in more practical spaces, including accessory dwelling units known as ADUs, and innovative designs that can make smaller houses feel larger than they are. Whether you’re thinking buying, building or renovating a smaller home, Sheri will inspire you with a dazzling range of ideas and options for your next living space.

Each May, we commemorate Older Americans Month—ever since President John F. Kennedy issued a formal proclamation in 1963 asking the nation to encourage and recognize the countless contributions that older adults make to our communities. This year, the Administration for Community Living, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will lead the observance of Older Americans Month with the theme, “Age My Way,” focusing on how older adults can plan to stay in their homes and be involved in their communities for as long as possible. In today’s episode, Rhonda Schwartz, a regional administrator for the Administration for Community Living will explain the agency’s broad mission: to maximize the independence, health and well-being of older adults and people with disabilities, as well as their families and caregivers. Indeed, all people, regardless of age and disability, deserve to live with dignity, make their own choices, and participate fully in society.This year is also 10th anniversary of the creation of the ACL, and Rhonda will discuss how the agency has evolved over the years to more fully integrate its work for both the aging and disabilities communities. She’ll talk about the agency’s approach to promoting planning, participation, accessibility, and making connections—all of which play a role in aging in place—emphasizing that what each person needs and prefers is unique. She’ll explain how the pandemic affected the delivery of vital ACL programs and services, how the agency has adapted and continues to deal with the challenges of social isolation, stress and mental health issues among elderly populations. And Rhonda will weigh in on the agency’s (and her own) efforts to reframe how we view aging, to recognize how older people not only contribute to the economy, but offer wisdom, their time, experience and talents to enrich the lives of those around them.

Over the last half century, we’ve witnessed a blizzard of technological advances that have had a profound impact on our daily lives. But if we take the time to reflect for a moment, and look around at the commonplace devices we take for granted, we would discover that many of them had their origin during an era we don’t normally associate with innovation—the Middle Ages. In today’s episode, author and producer John W. Farrell takes us through a fascinating series of stories in his book, “The Clock and the Camshaft,” that describe how dozens of inventions that are part of virtually every aspect of contemporary technology had their roots in medieval times, between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries. John takes us behind the invention of a key mechanism leading to the mechanical clock—perhaps as a means of automating the ringing of church bells. He’ll explain how cylindrical axles know as camshafts originated in windmills—centuries before they evolved into a key component of internal combustion engines. He’ll take us through architectural innovations like the flying buttresses, which allowed the design of grand cathedrals that dwarfed buildings of the Roman empire. Then there were social inventions such as universities, ignited by the popes as a way to protect the church against the power of European monarchs. And the mariner’s astrolabe and the compass—tools that helped spur the expansion of European trade and enabled navigators like Columbus to take real chances outside the comfortable commerce between Mediterranean port cities. Perhaps most remarkable theme throughout John Farrell’s stories is the refreshing discovery that many of the world’s most important inventions were not only due to the ingenuity and hard work of prominent individuals, but thanks to the work of everyday people whose names may be unknown, but whose legacy laid the foundations of the modern world.

With the relentless march of digital technology over the last few decades, we’ve seen a contemporary society increasingly focused on making life faster, easier, convenient, more comfortable. But there’s an underside to this pervasive technology. Modernity is working against many of our physical, intellectual and emotional needs, according to a growing body of research. It’s actually making us age faster. In today’s episode, Dr. Sherry Kelly, a widely recognized clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist, talks about her 30 years’ experience researching and exploring ways to keep our brain vibrant in the digital age. It’s a not an easy challenge. Even as the pandemic recedes, there’s still not enough face-to-face time or time spent outdoors; we remain entrenched in a 24-hour news cycle, an enclosed world of social media and streaming; and a largely sedentary lifestyle. Yet each of us has more power than we may think to control aging, says Dr. Kelly. We do have choices and options, but they often require us to be proactive, to change our lifestyle, gain emotional flexibility and revise our personal expectations. A frequent lecturer on neuroscience, health and wellness, and positive psychology, Dr. Kelly will provide her insights on how managing digital technology can help prevent cognitive decline, as well as describe her work with children, researching the impact of digital technology and social media on the development of social skills in youth. Along with her daughter, Kaitlyn Kelly, she founded PositiviTeens Workshops, which provide coaching, and webinars to educate diverse audiences about how digital technology is not only affecting the social skills in youth, but changing developing brains. As a young teen, Kaitlyn was personally impacted by the high school shooting in her childhood hometown of Parkland, Fla., when she witnessed the unfolding violence upon friends and neighbors via unfiltered social media.

For the first time in U.S. history, people over 60 outnumber people under 18, raising fears of a widening generational divide. But Encore.org sees things differently. It believes that the aging of America isn’t so much of a problem as it is an opportunity to be seized. In this episode, Eunice Lin Nichols, Encore’s dynamic VP for Innovation, talks about how her organization is working to change our culture of age segregation, building a movement to make intergenerational collaboration the norm. Eunice will spell out what it means to live “Gen2Gen,” and how to take part in the “encore career” movement, joining people age 50 and up who are committed to using their experiences to create second acts for the greater good. She’ll explain the inspiring histories of the Purpose Prize, Experience Corps and Encore Fellowships; and offer stories and examples of intergenerational solutions to pressing social problems: the housing crisis facing both young and old; the epidemic of loneliness across generations; the co-location of childcare and eldercare centers; and the need for co-generational leadership in the workforce--to name a few. How can you participate in the encore movement? Find out about the Encore Network, and what you can do to join a coalition of leaders and organizations across the country to create a better future for all.

We may be recovering—slowly, tentatively—from this long pandemic, as the number of COVID cases decrease, masking requirements are relaxed, and in-person meetings cautiously resume. But there’s little sense of comfort in this “New Normal.” There seems to be pervasive feelings of stress, anxiety, trauma and depression that continue to linger. In part, we’re still grieving the losses inflicted by the last two-plus years—and we’re worried that new COVID variants may be on the horizon. On top of all that, we’re nervous about inflation, a possible recession, the growing war in Ukraine, and troubling political and social division in our own country. How do we cope with our Anxiety Society? How do we find ways to manage and alleviate what increasingly feels like overwhelming stress? In today’s episode, Bill Solz, the director of Stress Solutions of New York, talks about his long career exploring ways to help people who are in emotional pain through quicker-healing approaches. Bill’s journey has given him many perspectives: as a teacher, childcare worker, university professor, social worker in both public and private schools, and now a licensed clinical social worker with multiple credentials, including certification in anger management and domestic violence. Bill will talk about how he works with individuals and families in promoting stress reduction and addressing trauma and addictions. He’ll explain various treatment approaches he uses to provide quick symptom relief and comprehensive healing—among them alternative therapy techniques such as Havening and the Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy. And, at a time when many of us feel pressured to move on in our fast-paced culture, despite traumatic setbacks, Bill will discuss his work as an advanced grief recovery specialist, leading a support group that incorporates treatment as well.