What if some of our most deeply held beliefs about aging are wrong—or, at best—one dimensional?
In this inaugural episode of Age, Reconsidered: Rethinking What it Means to Grow Older, host Kelly O'Neil from the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging introduces a new podcast series exploring what it means to grow older in a culture that often views aging through a narrow lens. Drawing on research, lived experience, and thoughtful conversation, the series invites listeners to question common assumptions about aging and consider more expansive ways of understanding later life.
Episode 1 features a conversation with renowned bioethicist, physician, and educator, Dr. Nuala Kenny, who reflects on aging from both professional and personal perspectives. The conversation explores ageism, the ethics of care, intergenerational relationships, and the tension between cultural narratives of decline and "successful aging." We also hear from a group of older women whose reflections on freedom, gratitude, identity, curiosity, and belonging offer a rich counterpoint to stereotypes about growing older.
Why does this matter? As populations age, the stories we tell about aging shape everything from public policy and healthcare to our expectations for our own futures. We hope you’ll come away with a deeper appreciation of aging as a complex and deeply human experience—one that includes both gains and losses, vulnerability and resilience, endings and new beginnings. Rather than offering simple answers, this episode invites us to stay curious about who we are, who we are becoming, and what it means to live well at every stage of life.
Links & Resources
Nuala Kenny’s work:
https://medicine.dal.ca/news/2018/11/06/dr__nuala_kenny__a_pioneer_of_canadian_bioethics.html
Connie Zweig’s The Inner Work of Age: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Inner-Work-of-Age/Connie-Zweig/9781644113400
Credits
Host: Kelly O’Neil, Nova Scotia Centre on Aging
Guests: Nuala Kenny and ‘The Sisters and the Ladies’ at Caritas Residence in Halifax
Keelan Black, recording and production engineer at Mount Saint Vincent University
Theme music: "Family Tree" by Danny Duberstein. Licensed through NeoSounds and used with permission.
Bridge Music: “The Mountains” by Pumpupthemind. Under open license through Pixabay.
This podcast series was made possible through a generous grant from the Entente Foundation, supporting innovative projects that improve the lives of older adults.
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