Aging by Any Other Name

“The wiser mind mourns less for what age takes away than what it leaves behind.”

~William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

Aging in Place

A voice I respect in the Aging Sector is Jon Warner, he’s involved in multiple endeavors including startups, Angle investing, education, aging/longevity, CEO, mentor and advisor. His posts on LinkedIn are substantive and worth reading.

He posed the question: Can we find a better name than “aging” for our sector?

His post prompted many responses, including one from me:

“Aging” is a lifelong process. Technically it defines all ages…Ironically. We are all “aging.” It shouldn’t necessarily define a specific sector of the human experience. Historic gerontology has done us no favors by associating the term with disease and decline. It will take some heavy lifting to pull it from the medicalization dust bin of the past. Like other “isms,” it will take time and concerted efforts. This can be our Legacy to future generations to redefine “aging” but to do so without falling into the happy-gerontology trap of denial.

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Click to learn more about The Biomedicalization of Aging