COVID-19 Information - Click Here
Skip to Content
Homewatch CareGivers
LocationsIcon of Map Pin
  • Caregiver Jobs
  • Franchise Opportunities
  • Care Community Blog
  • Contact Us
close
  • Back
  • Home
  • About Home Care
    • Back
    • What is Home Care
    • Types of Care
    • Financing Options
    • Cost
    About Home Care Homewatch CareGivers® believes good care should not interfere with your quality of life. We deliver the compassionate care our clients need to help complete day-to-day activities while still maintaining a healthy dose of independence.
  • Types of Care
    • Back
    • Elder Care
    • 24-Hour Care
    • Child Care
    • Respite Care
    • Senior Transportation Services
    • Companion Care
    • Hospital Discharge
    • Chronic Conditions Care
    • Dementia Care
    • Nursing Services
    • After Surgery Care
    • Personal Care
    Types of Care Our clients have many different reasons for requiring care, so we strive to provide services tailored to their individual needs and circumstances. Homewatch CareGivers delivers various types of in-home care that focus on the whole person—not just their condition.
  • Resources
    • Back
    • ALS
    • Arthritis
    • Dementia
    • Developmental Disabilities
    • Diabetes
    • Heart Disease
    • Parkinson's Disease
    • Senior Safety
    • Stroke
    • For Health Care Providers
    • Ask The Experts
  • Our Story
    • Back
    • Team Bios
    • Facts & History
    • National Quality Forum
    • In the Media
    • Home Care Association of America
    Our Story Homewatch CareGivers was founded on the concept of person-directed care: focusing on the specific needs of the individual and treating each client as a whole person, not just a condition. We strive to provide in-home care services that allow people to continue living safely and happily in their own homes.
  • Why Choose Us?
    • Back
    • Our Caregivers
    • Questions to Ask
    • Homewatch CareGivers University
    • Client Testimonials
    • In-Home Senior Safety
    Why Choose Us? Let our family care for yours. At Homewatch CareGivers, we value not only highly qualified caregiving services but also human interactions and relationships. Our people make the difference.
LocationsIcon of Map Pin

Changing Your Aging Attitude

Changing Your Aging Attitude Jul 26, 2016
Blog Categories
  • COVID-19
  • A Business with a cause
  • Addressing Isolation & Loneliness
  • Age at home
  • Age in place
  • Aging at Home
  • Aging Parent
  • aging parents
  • animal therapy
  • Anxiety Support
  • Best Home Care
  • Care for Aging Parents
  • Care for My Aging Parent
  • Caregiver
  • Caregiver Assistance
  • Caregiver Stress
  • caregiving assistance
  • caring star
  • caring star award
  • caring.com
  • caring.com award
  • Coping and Caregiving
  • Coronavirus
  • Cost of Care
  • Dementia
  • dementia care
  • Elderly Parent Care
  • Employee Spotlight
  • Essential Caregiver Skills
  • Events
  • Falls Prevention
  • Family Caregiver
  • Financial Resources
  • Franchise
  • Franchising
  • handling caregiver stress
  • Health & Wellbeing
  • Holiday Celebration
  • Home Care
  • Home Watch Caregivers
  • Homewatch CareGivers
  • how to manage caregiver stress
  • In-Home Safety
  • Job Fair
  • Local
  • Long Term Care
  • Long Term Care Options
  • National Public Health Week
  • New Office in New Haven
  • older parents
  • parents aging
  • Parkinson’s Symptoms
  • Passion of Caregiving
  • Pet Therapy
  • Planning Ahead
  • Provider Choice Award
  • Senior Care & Aging
  • Senior Exercise
  • service dog
  • Social Distancing
  • stress
  • therapy dog
  • top rated home care agency
  • wandering

The question is, “What if nearly everything we think we know about aging is wrong?” For example, what if we’re getting better with age? This change in perspective could change attitudes about aging not just for individuals but how we treat those who are older than us and in need of assistance.

Thought leaders such as Dr. Bill Thomas, MD, founder of the Eden Alternative, and Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO of AARP, have been bringing these questions up to generate discussion and hopefully to create change. “Aging is good,” Dr. Thomas says in a TEDx presentation. “We’ve been told, we’ve been instructed, that the problem is aging, but that’s wrong. Aging is not the problem; it’s our obsession with youth.”

It’s Not a Fight—Not One You Can Win Anyway

Enough with adages like “50 is the new 30” and “anti-aging” say these experts. “All of the experts on aging are anti-aging gurus,” states Dr. Thomas, whose specialty is geriatric medicine which is a woefully understaffed field. “The anti-aging movement might completely dominate the media and publishing—I think it does. The anti-aging industry might pump out billions of dollars of profit, but I’m not worried. I actually accept aging. I embrace aging and I endorse aging because it is aging that is going to save us.”

The bottom line is that aging is part of the human condition. “In the entire history of the world, not one person has grown young,” Dr. Thomas says.

In other words, no amount of anti-aging will turn back the clock and maybe we shouldn’t even desire that. Instead, being over 50 is a time for renewal, a time to celebrate being alive and having learned a few lessons over the years.

Change Begins Within

What’s ageism? In his TEDx talk, Dr. Thomas explains it like this: “If you go around making jokes based on another person’s gender, that’s sexism. If you make jokes about another person’s race, that’s racism. But if you joke about somebody’s age, that’s called situation comedy.”

Ha? His point is that as a society we have accepted ridiculing age, that it’s OK to put someone down for not being able to do certain activities because of their age—or to assume that they can’t do something, such as their job.

“Ageism is alive and well,” says Ms. Jenkins in an interview on the Dr. Phil show to promote her book, Disrupt Aging: A Bold New Path to Living Your Best Life at Every Age. “It actually prevents people from living their best life.”

Not only has life expectancy increased significantly, the Baby Boomers are creating a bubble of elders.

Ms. Jenkins suggests that people take control of how they see themselves and how the plan for a longer life. “There are 10,000 people turning 65 every day, and that will continue for the next 14 years,” she explains. “We need to get rid of these outdated stereotypes and come up with new solutions so we can continue to age better.”

It’s what she calls “own your age” by taking control of finances and health.

“How do we, in this extra 20 or 30 years that we are going to live, start doing and becoming the person that we always wanted to be?” Ms. Jenkins says. “How do we find our passion? How do we reimagine who we are at 50-plus?”

In his Age of Disruption tour, Dr. Thomas has created a combination of workshops and theater to convey his message that “elderhood is rich, it’s deep and it’s meaningful.”

Not only can individuals change how they view themselves and approach life at every age, but they can learn how they might treat the elders in their life. This starts with seeing their value as people, not just as a diagnosis or what the can no longer due because of their age.

To find out if the Age of Disruption tour will be in your town soon, check the website.

Posted By Homewatch CareGivers
  • Share
Blog Home - Previous Post | Next Post
More Posts Like This
  • It’s a Match! Caregiver-Client Relationships
    Feb 24, 2021

    It’s a Match! Caregiver-Client Relationships

    Caregiving is about more than just one person fulfilling a list of a tasks; it’s about human relationships and connection.

    Read More
  • Top Five Types of Home Care
    Feb 24, 2021

    Top Five Types of Home Care

    Home care is not just one thing, but instead an umbrella term under which there are many types of care for many different types of needs and people. Learn about elder care, respite care, personal care, dementia care, and after-surgery care.

    Read More
  • Developmental Disabilities and Home Care
    Feb 24, 2021

    Developmental Disabilities and Home Care

    People who are living with developmental disabilities often need a professional caregiver in addition to family member support.

    Read More
Homewatch CareGivers Caregiving Services
Find Your Location Homewatch CareGivers is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Help & Info
  • About Homecare
  • Types of Care
  • Financing Options & Programs
  • Our Resources
  • Owner Login
Our Company
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Caregiver Jobs
  • Blog
  • Franchise Opportunities
Other
  • National Homepage Homewatch CareGivers University Login Privacy Policy Site Map
  • Accessibility Notice
  • HIPAA Disclaimer
  • Do Not Sell My Information - California Residents
Follow Us On

Part of the Authority Brands Family

Authority Brands is the leading provider of in-home services, building brands that support the success of franchisees as well as better the lives of the homeowners we serve and the people we employ.
/
Copyright © 2021 | Homewatch CareGivers® is a trademark owned by Homewatch International, Inc.™ and licensed for use to independently-owned franchised businesses that offer caregiver services to the public. All personal services, elderly care, caregiving and home care services offered OR provided under the Homewatch CareGivers™ mark are offered and provided only by independently-owned franchises and, where required, licensed OR registered businesses and care agencies. Scorpion Franchise Internet Marketing
x

⚠

Your browser is out of date. To get the full experience of this website, please update to most recent version.

Update My Browser