A New Chapter in Aging

by Skip Cohen

Remember, I don't get into marketing in my Sunday posts. Reflections is about whatever is on my mind, other than business, and this morning is no exception. In fact, I was awake at 5:30 and enjoyed just lying in bed thinking of what I wanted to write about this morning.

A few weeks back I launched a new Facebook group, Before They Take Away My Keys. It's meant to be a soft launch to build on the reality of aging and things we should be thinking about. However, a few people have taken the title literally, sharing stories about limiting the driving of senior members of their family, like parents or grandparents. This is certainly okay...but it only scratches the surface of the purpose behind starting the group.

I remember the conversation with my Dad when it was time to stop letting him drive any longer. Taking his keys away was one of the toughest things I've ever had to do, as Dad screamed, "You're not my son - a son wouldn't do this!" Dad was almost 90, with severe hearing loss, and his reflexes had slowed down. He'd had several accidents, and it was simply time for him to get out from behind the wheel.

The title, Before They Take Away My Keys is meant to be anecdotal. It's about everything you should be doing BEFORE you hit that age where you shouldn't be driving. The Facebook group is the first step in a soft launch, which includes a podcast series, a website coming soon, new content, and guest posts to remind us all to live life to its fullest.

We recorded our first full podcast with our a special guest, local health care "celebrity," Pam Polowski. She's a remarkable dementia educator, certified dementia practitioner, and a good friend and resource to so many of us. She's a mentor specializing in aging, and if she's speaking or moderating a caregiver support group, it's going to be standing room only.  As I stated in her intro in the upcoming podcast, scheduled to air later this week:

"She's also the perfect first guest on the new podcast because she's experienced great personal loss and understands while we can never make time stand still, we can make time to live the best possible life."

Here's my point - whether you're 40 and caring for a more senior member of the family or you ARE that senior family member - our goal is to remind you of how much living you've still got to do! It's about your bucket list, living life to the max, and minimizing regrets that come from missing those opportunities that came along in your past.

But here's one more aspect to why I wanted to start something new at this point in life...at a time where most people my age have retired - I'm not done yet. With help from an amazing group of friends along with my muse, my wife Sheila, I want to share the mistakes we've made as we've aged so that you can make new mistakes of your own.

If you haven't checked out the new Facebook page, please join us and stay tuned - there's a lot of good stuff headed your way.

Wishing everybody a terrific day ahead with time to make a few new memories, smile at some old ones, and live the best life you can. Always go for those eleven-second therapeutic hugs I've been writing about for the last ten years, and thanks for your support and feedback!

Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world.