International Day of Older Persons

Yesterday, October 1, was the International Day of Older Persons.  This was a surprise to me, and perhaps it is a surprise to you as well.  This designation was given to October 1 by the United Nations in December of 1990 and first celebrated in 1991.  That year, the UN General Assembly also adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons.  (“Older person” is defined here as 65 and above….please read on even if you are not yet 65!)
 
The International Day of Older Persons certainly wasn’t on my radar, nor would it have caught my attention, in October of 1991.  My second daughter had been born two months before, and as a 37-year-old with two young daughters, I certainly didn’t look ahead to when I would be 65 and designated as an “older person.”
 
But here I am, now 68, and grateful to be here. And the truth is that we are all aging. Maybe you haven’t yet reached that golden age of 65, but you have been aging since the moment of birth. 
 
The UN website notes:  “Rapid growth in the number of people reaching older ages underscores the significance of promoting health, preventing, and treating illnesses throughout the entire course of life.”
 
Maybe you’re interested in national and international policy around supporting people as they age. Or perhaps you’re trying to figure out how best to support yourself as you age.
 
In my opinion, it is in our best interests, individually and collectively, to develop actions and attitudes that foster the healthiest versions of ourselves.  There are so many reasons to do this, including:  reducing our own health care costs, relying less on the over-stressed medical professionals in our communities (whenever we can), maintaining our independence,  finding our purpose and passions, and increasing our health span – the amount of time in our lives that we spend good health.
 
I’ll be writing more on these issues soon, but for now let me just say …..yoga…..slow, mindful yoga…..is one way.