Abundant Aging

This week on The Art of Aging, Rev. Beth Long-Higgins talks with Art Against Ageism Co-Founders Meg La Porte and Jordan Evans about how they use creativity and public art to challenge ageism and promote positive age beliefs. They share the origin of their nonprofit, the impact of projects like the “Own Your Age” photo booth and large-scale wheat-pasted murals on senior living buildings, and how these installations spark powerful conversations and reframe nursing homes as vibrant communities. They also discuss their intergenerational partnership, the importance of respecting age across the life course, and their efforts to collect both qualitative stories and quantitative data on changing age beliefs. Personal reflections on their own aging and the older role models who inspire them round out a conversation that invites listeners to see aging as active, creative, and abundant.

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

• Introduction To Art Against Ageism And Guests (0:07)
• How Meg’s Career Led To Art Against Ageism (2:20)
• Pandemic, Systemic Ageism, And Birth Of The Initiative (4:03)
• Owning Your Age And Group Intros With Age Sharing (8:20)
• Power Dynamics, Teaching, And Co-Generational Collaboration (13:25)
• Using Art To Move Ageism Awareness From Head To Heart (16:38)
• Temporary Murals On Nursing Homes And Community Impact (19:26)
• Including Residents, Staff, Families, And Volunteers In Murals (23:02)
• Aging Is Living Tree Installation And Conversation Starters (25:22)
• Most Moving Stories And Reactions To The Photo Booth (27:25)
• Data, Surveys, And Studying Age Beliefs Through Art (30:18)
• Hospitals, Public Art, And Senior Living Design Gaps (38:56)
• Role Models Who Inspire Them To Age Abundantly (43:32)
• How To Connect With Art Against Ageism And Closing Thoughts (46:02)

Abundant Aging is a podcast series presented by United Church Homes. These shows offer ideas, information, and inspiration on how to improve our lives as we grow older. To learn more and to subscribe to the show, visit abundantagingpodcast.com. 

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This week on The Art of Aging, Rev. Beth Long-Higgins talks with educator and intergenerational innovator Lauren Feyh about her journey from CNA to licensed nursing home administrator, instructor at Ohio State, and co-founder of the nonprofit GrowIN. They explore what truly makes an intergenerational (IG) program—intentional, mutual relationships rather than one-sided “entertainment”—and discuss initiatives like Grow In, Arise, and Age Up that address loneliness, build community, and prepare a more age-informed workforce. Lauren shares insights from Ohio State’s Program 60 Plus on the importance of lifelong learning, challenges common misconceptions and ageism around what aging looks like, and explains how intergenerational strategies can benefit both older and younger people, who also face high levels of isolation. She also reflects on her doctoral work in higher education, parenting a young child, and how being intentional about relationships across generations can shape healthier, more age-friendly communities.

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

• Lauren’s Path From Grandparents to Gerontology and CNA Work (2:00)
• How Hands-On Caregiving Shapes Lauren’s Teaching Approach (4:30)
• What Makes True Intergenerational Programming and Why It Matters Now (5:38)
• Why “Entertaining Seniors” Is Not Real Intergenerational Service (10:22)
• Lifelong Learning After 60 and Ohio State’s Program 60 Plus (13:30)
• Connecting Doctoral Work in Higher Education to Aging and Workforce Needs (16:11)
• Launching Chirp and Bridging Research and Real-World IG Practice (19:31)
• How Arise Was Created and What It Reveals About Storytelling and Community (22:18)
• Misconceptions About Aging, Healthcare, and What “Normal” Aging Looks Like (29:11)
• Age Up, Workforce Development, and Training a More Age-Ready Workforce (31:37)
• One Thing Listeners Can Do Today to Build Cross-Generational Connections (38:22)
• How to Connect With Lauren and Learn More About Grow In (39:22)
• Lauren’s Reflections on Her Own Aging, Doctoral Journey, and Role Models (40:38)
• Closing Reflections on Resilience, Optimism, and Aging Abundantly (44:04)

Abundant Aging is a podcast series presented by United Church Homes. These shows offer ideas, information, and inspiration on how to improve our lives as we grow older. To learn more and to subscribe to the show, visit abundantagingpodcast.com. 
 

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This week on The Art of Aging, Rev. Beth Long-Higgins talks with Eddie Gonzalez, an Impact Fellow at CoGenerate and a former hospice chaplain, about how storytelling, spirituality, and intergenerational relationships shape our lives and faith communities. Eddie shares his journey from business student to journalist, creative writer, and chaplain, and how growing up in a multigenerational household formed his reverence for elders, spiritual life, and shared meals. They explore why intergenerational connection is a “superpower” of faith communities that is often underused, the challenges of age segregation and power dynamics in religious spaces, and how intentional co-creation across generations can transform communities. Drawing on Cogenerate’s Honest Conversation Project and related reports, Eddie highlights the deep hunger across ages to be seen, heard, and taken seriously, and emphasizes moving from mere proximity to shared purpose, from outreach to genuine co-creation, as a key mindset shift for building thriving, intergenerational spiritual communities.

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

Abundant Aging is a podcast series presented by United Church Homes. These shows offer ideas, information, and inspiration on how to improve our lives as we grow older. To learn more and to subscribe to the show, visit abundantagingpodcast.com. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the Art of Aging, Rev. Beth Long-Higgins talks with Dr. Shannon Jarrott, a social work professor and intergenerational programming expert at Ohio State University, about how intentional connections between younger and older people improve health, well-being, and communities. They explore Shannon’s personal path into intergenerational work, how these relationships can combat ageism and reshape our expectations of aging, and why dementia and other serious symptoms should never be dismissed as “just getting old.” The conversation covers designing age-inclusive spaces, from playgrounds and churches to workplaces, the importance of preparing staff and participants for intergenerational programs, and seeing intergenerational work not as a one-off activity but as a strategy to advance an organization’s mission. Shannon also reflects on her own aging, the creation of a new Center for Intergenerational Research and Practice, and the need to balance meaningful work with having fun and aging abundantly.

Abundant Aging is a podcast series presented by United Church Homes. These shows offer ideas, information, and inspiration on how to improve our lives as we grow older. To learn more and to subscribe to the show, visit abundantagingpodcast.com. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the Art of Aging, Rev. Beth Long-Higgins and Rev. Dr. Anna Hall explores how so‑called “aging congregations” can move from a mindset of decline and scarcity to one of wisdom, abundance, and imaginative discipleship. They discuss why focusing on deficits, shrinking numbers, and attracting young families at all costs harms both churches and communities, and how shifting to seeing congregations as beloved, gifted communities changes everything. Key themes include addressing anxiety and grief about change, practicing Sabbath and slowing down, engaging in deep listening and community-based interviews, embracing intergenerational and accessible ministry, and cultivating imagination and creativity as spiritual practices. Listeners are invited to reimagine church not as a building to preserve, but as a people called to love, justice, and courageous experimentation in their neighborhoods.

Abundant Aging is a podcast series presented by United Church Homes. These shows offer ideas, information, and inspiration on how to improve our lives as we grow older. To learn more and to subscribe to the show, visit abundantagingpodcast.com. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the Art of Aging, Rev. Beth Long-Higgins talks with Amy Kotterman of United Church Homes about the CMS GUIDE model, an innovative Medicare program designed to improve life for people living with dementia and support their unpaid caregivers. They explain what CMS and the GUIDE model are, who is eligible (including the need for a formal dementia diagnosis and traditional Medicare), and how care navigators provide ongoing education, care coordination, and essential respite services. The conversation tackles caregiver stress, loneliness, stigma around dementia, and the importance of early diagnosis and proactive health, including often-overlooked factors like hearing loss and social isolation. Amy also outlines how to find GUIDE providers nationwide, where United Church Homes currently serves (primarily in Ohio), and closes with personal reflections on aging well, lifelong learning, and examples of abundant aging in her own life and work.

Abundant Aging is a podcast series presented by United Church Homes. These shows offer ideas, information, and inspiration on how to improve our lives as we grow older. To learn more and to subscribe to the show, visit abundantagingpodcast.com. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the Art of Aging, Rev. Beth Long-Higgins talks with Hannah Albers, Director of Program Development at the National Center to Reframe Aging, about how language shapes our understanding of aging and drives policy, programs, and everyday interactions. Hannah shares her journey into aging services, the impact of mentors and age-diverse teams, and her own experiences with internalized ageism and “owning” her age. They trace how the reframing aging movement has evolved since 2015, moving from marketing and communications into direct practice and cross-sector work, and discuss the tension between using common search terms like “senior citizen” and striving to change the broader culture. Key takeaways include the power of small shifts in language, the importance of inviting people into the work rather than calling them out, the need to engage sectors beyond traditional aging services, and the value of personal reflection in confronting ageism at every stage of life.

Abundant Aging is a podcast series presented by United Church Homes. These shows offer ideas, information, and inspiration on how to improve our lives as we grow older. To learn more and to subscribe to the show, visit abundantagingpodcast.com. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the Art of Aging, Rev. Beth Long-Higgins speaks with psychologist and author Dr. Janis Clark Johnston about redefining retirement as a time of growth, creativity, and purpose rather than decline. They discuss how major life transitions like moving or leaving a career can stimulate the brain, the role of daily mindfulness and meditation in emotional resilience, and Dr. Johnston’s concept of a “psychological portfolio” that includes personality, reflection, exercise, and creativity. The conversation explores grief over the loss of professional identity, differences in how men and women experience retirement, and the importance of asking, “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” Key takeaways include embracing a growth and grit mindset, letting go of old roles, staying socially connected, and seeing later life as a season for reinvention, learning, and contributing in new ways.

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

Abundant Aging is a podcast series presented by United Church Homes. These shows offer ideas, information, and inspiration on how to improve our lives as we grow older. To learn more and to subscribe to the show, visit abundantagingpodcast.com. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the Art of Aging, Rev. Beth Long-Higgins welcomes Elizabeth (Beth) Boyd, PhD. and Rev. Susan Walker, co-creators of the Path Ahead: Spirituality and Purpose in Later Life, a curriculum that helps older adults explore the emotional and spiritual dimensions of aging. They share how the program grew from concerns that older church members felt invisible, into a facilitator training now used across the U.S. and beyond. The conversation covers ageism in congregations, reframing retirement and later life as a season of calling and legacy, and the importance of practices like contemplation, gratitude, resilience, and lament. Listeners are invited to see aging as a spiritually rich, ongoing journey where both serving others and learning to receive care are meaningful callings. Don’t miss this great conversation!

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

Abundant Aging is a podcast series presented by United Church Homes. These shows offer ideas, information, and inspiration on how to improve our lives as we grow older. To learn more and to subscribe to the show, visit abundantagingpodcast.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the Art of Aging, Rev. Beth Long-Higgins welcomes Anne Basting, writer, artist, and founder of TimeSlips, to discuss the transformative power of creativity and storytelling in dementia and elder care. Topics include the development and impact of TimeSlips, the emotional and social importance of creative engagement for both caregivers and those living with dementia, how Memory Cafes build supportive communities, and the launch of the inspiring “10 Million Moments of Connection” initiative. Listeners will gain key insights into fostering dignity and connection, imaginative and community-based approaches, and so much more. 

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

• Welcome to Today’s Episode with Anne Basting (0:36)
• Anne Shares What Inspired Her Creative Path (3:02)
• How TimeSlips Emerged in Dementia Care (6:13)
• Shifting Caregivers’ Mindsets on Identity (9:51)
• The Ongoing Growth Possible in Later Life (13:04)
• The Power of Creativity for Caregivers (15:27)
• Creativity and Spirituality in Caregiving (17:30)
• Practicing Curiosity, Humility, and Awe (18:21)
• Challenging Assumptions in Dementia Care (21:59)
• Being Present and Letting Go of Rigid Patterns (22:38)
• The Role and Setup of Memory Cafes (24:33)
• The Concept of Respite Together at Memory Cafes (28:01)
• 10 Million Moments of Connection Initiative (30:17)
• Key Practices for Caregivers: Asking Beautiful Questions (35:28)
• Anne’s Personal Reflections on Her Own Aging (37:01)
• Anne’s Inspirations from Others Aging Abundantly (40:00)
• Conclusion and Where to Connect with Anne (42:22)

Abundant Aging is a podcast series presented by United Church Homes. These shows offer ideas, information, and inspiration on how to improve our lives as we grow older. To learn more and to subscribe to the show, visit abundantagingpodcast.com.

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