From Aging To Eldering: Exploring The Development Of The Elder

by Bob Montgomery

The Keynote Speaker for June's edition of the Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health Lecture Series is Doctor Al Lauzon.

He's a Gateway Board Member and the Chair of Rural Change and Development, and the topic he'll be discussing is From Aging To Eldering: Exploring The Development Of The Elder. Doctor Lauzon says research from the World Health Association indicates that by 2050 twenty-two percent of the global population will be sixty years of age or older. But he also points out what used to be old isn't old any more, and not everyone wants to retire at the age of sixty-five.

But, he adds, one of the challenges we're facing is we live in an ageist culture and it's very easy to convince ourselves that we're old before we are. He says we are meaning-making creatures but when we're put out to pasture, the meaning is gone, but most of us still want to be valued and contribute to the collective good. That may be through employment, or other work, or even something like being an active grandparent.

Doctor Lauzon says one of the positive things about getting a little bit older is it often encourages us to start looking for creative outlets. It can give us the time and the freedom to do things like learn a new language or learn to play a musical instrument and pursue any number of hobbies that we didn't have time for in the past.

The presentation is called From Aging To Eldering: Exploring The Development Of The Elder, and it will be available by Zoom on June 4th from noon until one o'clock.

More information about the presentation and the lecture series can be found on the Gateway website.

Dr. Al Lauzon -Gateway Board Member and Chair of Rural Change and Development

Photo courtesy of the Gateway Centre for Excellence in Rural Health